


Heroes, Villains and the Shades in between

by bored_wayward_dragon



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: BAMF Hope, Badass Hayley, But occasionally hella dark, Davina shouldn't have died, FIx It, Family Fluff, Hayley realising she is EXACTLY where she belongs, I just had so many feels, Kinda, Marcel is a dick who gets what's coming for him, Mikaelsons get to be a family, Post Season 3, Screw Marcel, With the Mikaelsons, because they freaking deserve better than the shit they get, seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2018-09-07 21:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 51,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8817142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bored_wayward_dragon/pseuds/bored_wayward_dragon
Summary: After the season 3 finale, Hayley is on the run with Hope, desperately trying to find the cures she needs. Four out of five are in a deep sleep induced by Freya in an effort to keep them alive and Klaus? Klaus is suffering alone, hidden away from the world by Marcel. this is how the Mikaelsons find their way back to each other. 
Because I honestly would have gone crazy waiting for season 4 to come out. This has been posted on ff.net, I just figured I'd move it here too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've posted this on ff.net too but I wanted to move it here for a while so here I am! I really do like how this fic has turned out and hope you guys like it too because quite honestly there are not enough Originals fics out there. Do comment and let me know what you think!   
> So I based Hope on my own little sister who's 3 and a sassy and sarcastic little shit. I love her to bits but sometimes... let's just say I'm slightly concerned that she will grow up to be one of those teens who runs their mouth a lot and gets beaten up for it.

Time was a concept that soon became irrelevant to Klaus Mikaelson. The only thing he was aware of was the darkness and the pain. Pure agony enveloped him, dulling his thoughts and weakening him. He was completely immobile, unable to as much as lift a finger with the pain that coursed through him. The pain, his body eventually adjusted to, accepting it and allowing it to flow through him. Pain became a constant, ravenous hunger and shadows all that he now knew, insanity slowly consuming him.   
  
After a while, his mind began to shut down in the unending darkness and agony and he feared that he would never see the sun again, feared he would lose himself so utterly in the shadows that had engulfed him that finding himself again, finding the man he had become would be an impossibility. Klaus feared that a worse monster would break free of this tomb than the one that had been encased inside.   
  
As time wore on, Klaus was swept into vivid memories of the past, hallucinations that exploded with color and light as what remained of his sanity attempted to salvage the shreds of his tattered mind.   
  
Whispers of voices and echoes of music filled his ears, vision overtaken by ballgowns and elegantly dressed young men and women wandered and danced in front of him, delicate perfumes filling the air with the smell of spring. It all seemed so real, for a moment he almost felt as if he was actually surrounded by people who had lived over five hundred years ago.   
  
He himself was standing, glass of champagne in hand as he gazed upon the dancers spinning elegantly around the room in dances that had long been forgotten with the passage of time. A voice he identified as Rebekah's reached his ears and he turned to face her. Upon seeing his face, her brilliant smile faded to concern as she frowned and reached for him, placing her hand gently on his arm as if to steady him.   
  
"Nik, are you alright? You look like you're about to fall over."   
  
Klaus could only glance at her hand which still rested on his arm in confusion. He could feel the slight pressure of her hand on his, yet he knew this to be all in his head, simply a pain induced hallucination of a memory of a ball that took place half a millennium ago. But it _felt_ so real.   
  
He reached up with his own hand to cup her cheek, looking at her warily. "How is it, that even though I know this to be a dream, it feels so real? That _you_ feel so real?"  
  
"What on earth are you talking about? I'm as real as you are Nik." Confusion spread over Rebekah's beautiful features and Klaus could only smile sadly.   
  
"No, you're not. You, Freya, Elijah and Kol are all safe in your own little paradise. Freya and I ensured that at least. This, none of this no matter how I wish it to be so, is real I assure you. But it is better this way. Over the years I have poisoned all that I have touched, whether it was my intention to do so or not. This way, perhaps I can make some of it right. Atonement, if you will, for all that I have made you suffer over the years. At least I know you now to be safe and happy with our other siblings. For that, I would gladly endure a millennia of this torment until Hayley finds the cures needed to save you." He kissed her lovingly on the cheek, smiling sadly at her confused yet determined face. Who knew when, if ever, he would actually be able to see his sister in person again? And he turned abruptly away, the vision vanishing and he was once again surrounded by darkness, pain that had been slightly dulled for the duration of the hallucination pushing through him stronger than ever in an endless cycle once again.   
  
Bittersweet visions of his family overtook him at irregular intervals, bittersweet in that he would occasionally be able to spend time with them or see them happy, carefree in a manner that they had had little opportunity to be in the past, something he fully accepted as his fault. Occasionally it would be a memory, at other times, he would see his siblings engaged in mundane activities so like what Klaus was used to seeing them do that he had difficulty in separating memory from hallucination and from what he desperately wished to see and be a part of. The hallucinations that affected him the most, perhaps, were those in which he would be able to see his littlest wolf. When he would be able to hold her in his arms, talk to her and play with her. What killed him would be when it would end and he would realise that it wasn't real. That it couldn't be real. And then he would see her again an indeterminable amount of time later and fool himself into believing, if even for just a moment, that he wasn't as alone as he feared.   
  
Eventually, he grew unable to tell the difference between reality, memory and twisted hallucinations, all of them bleeding into each other, a blur of voices and images, each as real as the last.   
  
But as they turned from mundane tasks and pleasant times to enraged voices, embittered pleas and fragments of heated arguments and spiteful words filled his visions, Klaus slowly withdrew into his own mind, delving deep through the layers in search of some kind of sanctuary, some form of reprieve from the torment that he suffered as he was slowly driven to insanity by the pain induced by that damned blade and by his own tattered mind. Gathering what remained of his torn and shattered mind, Klaus hid himself away, deep within the core essence of what made him, well, him, hiding away from the world, from the pain, from the memories.   
  
He eventually hid himself so deep within himself that the only think left for him to hold onto was the basic essence of who he was. He was Klaus Mikaelson, The original hybrid. Father, friend and brother. Raised in shadows and schooled in pain. He was Klaus Mikaelson and he would survive.   
  
~   
  
Hayley sighed as Hope's wails filled the room once again. It was moments like these when she really wished her baby girl wasn't so intuitive. The young child missed her home and her father. Hayley wasn't entirely sure how deep the bond between the two went or how in sync Hope was with Klaus but she was clearly aware that something was terribly wrong with him. Even though it had been months since they had left New Orleans, with the way Hope behaved, it may as well have been only just yesterday. There were nights, fewer and farther in between from each other as time wore on, that Hope would sleep through, that she would wake up  smiling from and be in a good mood all day. Hayley didn't know what caused them, but she was eternally grateful that her child would find comfort in her dreams, comfort that she herself couldn't quite provide her with because she simply didn't know _how_. She was only twenty-four, still so new to all of this. She could only pray and try to do right by Hope in the way that her baby girl deserved.   
  
Hayley had been through half of the states already, searching desperately for the cures that would reunite her family (because after everything that had happened, she could deny it no longer) and she was tired. Every day, it seemed less and less likely that she would ever find the cures she needed. But then, she would look at the coffins, at her child and something would spark, giving her the will to keep going, keep searching no matter how long it took. She wouldn't let her family down.   
  
She picked up her daughter, slightly rocking her in an attempt to quieten her. Hope looked at her with large, tear-filled blue eyes, so like Klaus' that it made her heart hurt. None of them deserved the cards they were dealt with and she had seen how the father of her child had changed from the paranoid, distrustful man he had been to the man he had become, the one willing to put family above all and she hated that it was _now_ , when they were finally learning how to be a family that they were all ripped apart from each other.   
  
"Hey Sweetie, what's wrong? Please don't cry, Mommy's doing everything she possibly can and we'll be back home before you know it, I promise."   
  
"Where Daddy? He gone! Mama, he hurting! Hurting so so bad! I no can help him!" Came Hope's cry in response as she entirely ignored her mother's placating words. Hayley raised a hand to her face in shock, her own eyes filling with tears.  
  
"You can feel him?" She asked her daughter, voiced filled with fear and awe at her child's capabilities, fearful for what it meant for little Hope. The three year old in question nodded seriously, putting her hand on her mother's chest, right above her heart.   
  
"Here Mama. Hurts. Sad. I no can make better."   
  
"Shit." Hayley swore, whenever Hope said 'sad' in such a situation, it generally meant things were already fucked up beyond all recognition. She then realised she had sworn in front of her very impressionable, very young child. "Pretend Mommy didn't say that." She said hurriedly.   
  
Hope smiled wickedly regaining her good humor in the face of her mother's slip up, "K Mama! But Auntie Freya won't like!" Klaus certainly hadn't been wrong when he said there was a bit of the devil in her. Hayley was blaming him for that particular gene.    
  
~  
  
Hayley was woken up in the middle of the night by the what sounded like a body being thrown through a wall. She shot out of bed, immediately running to Hope. The little girl was standing up in her crib, tiny hands clutching the sides, a determined expression on her face. Across the room lay the unmoving body of a man whom Hayley assumed was a vampire, the wall caved in by the force with which he had hit it. She slowly turned to Hope, taking in the child's stance and suddenly blank and unperturbed expression.   
  
"Hope, did- did you do that?" She asked, remembering when Cami had told them how Hope had stopped her car and saved the both of them. Hope's answer was simple, absolute even in her fragmented style of speech.   
  
"He want hurt you Mama. Bad bad bad. Then Unca 'Lijah be mad mad mad. I no let him hurt you."   
  
"So you stopped him?" She was still speaking quietly, reeling from her little girl's display of power as she processed Hope's babbling. The three year old nodded her head slowly, blond hair bouncing slightly as she did so.   
  
"This family terrifies me sometimes." Hayley murmured as she went to tie up the assailant so that she could interrogate him when he woke up.   
  
~   
  
Rebekah woke up gasping, confused tears running down her face as she recalled the feeling when Nik turned away from her in her dream. She remembered every second of that ball with perfect clarity and none of what had just happened was part of that memory. She shivered, unable just yet to shake off the fear that had gripped her when Klaus told her, ever so gently in a manner so unlike him, that she wasn't real. It was only a dream, was it not? But why then, did something break inside of her when Nik said what he did? She couldn't imagine her brother ever even capable of such self-deprecation. When he turned away from her, why did his farewell seem so real and final?   
  
It was only just a dream...


	2. A Butterfly's Flutter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I promised myself I'd update after this got over 20 hits and its currently at 28 so... hello. Fair warning, I expect this to hit at least, let's say a little over 40 hits before I update again. I mean, its only fair right? Anyway, read, comment and enjoy!

Klaus opened his eyes _(when had he closed them?)_ to the sight of a large library, Elijah sitting by an ornate fireplace, flames burning merrily inside and a book in his hands. The smell of musty books filled the place and something akin to joy burst inside of him as he saw the little smile on Elijah's face. His brother enjoyed reading as he enjoyed art, even though lately neither of them had had much time for either hobby.   
  
He remained in the library a few moments longer, running his fingers over the spines of the books that lined the shelves, glancing back occasionally to look at his elder brother. He didn't know how much of this moment was a hallucination and how much of it was based on memory, but Klaus found that he couldn't bring himself to care much either way.   
  
Even if he couldn't bring himself to interact with Elijah and break the illusion of peace that the library presented, he drew comfort from the mere presence of his brother. Footsteps came from the doorway and he turned to see Kol entering the library. His little brother's lips parted in slight shock, eyes widening. _"Nik-"_ he breathed, taking a step forward, hands reaching out towards him as if of their own accord and Klaus gasped, stumbling as sudden pain blossomed in his chest -   
  
And opened his eyes to a familiar darkness, a single tear falling unbidden from his eyes.   
  


* * *

  
  
Klaus knew he was destined for the fiery pits of Hell once he truly died. One did not commit the acts he had done and hope for anything other than retribution in the afterlife. It appeared, however, that retribution was to begin earlier than he had expected. His dreams had seen fit to show him little more than his family at its worst, fragmented and at each other's throats and he knew, without a doubt, that each time it was he to blame. A multitude of images passed through his mind at irregular intervals, echoes of harsh and angry words filling up every nook and cranny.   
  
The irony was that at times like these, the darkness of the bricked up pit Marcel had left him in and the unending pain coursing through him was a welcome reprieve from the memories his mind chose to show him.   
  
He was so, so tired.   
  


* * *

  
  
To say Hope was rather displeased was an understatement. Her bond with her father was pulsating with his grief and sorrow and the undercurrent of pain that was always present. Her annoyance now, was not only at her separation from her family but also from what she only knew how to explain as the 'sad' that was emanating from the link connecting her to Klaus. She frowned a little and then set to trying to 'make better' in whichever way she could. Her magic was only growing day by day along with her capabilities. It was still mainly instinctual, however, unshaped and raw as she learnt to control and use it to her advantage.   
  
Gently prodding the bond linking her to her father with her magic, she reached along the invisible metaphorical thread that linked them, reaching out to her father. As she slipped into his mind, she found a raging torrent of pain and grief swirling inside, tearing apart everything in its path. That was unacceptable and she flung out with her raw magic, slowing down the storm. Following the worn threads of images that represented his thoughts and emotions, she figured that at least part of the 'sad' was because he missed his family as she did.   
  
Delving deeper until she located him, Hope followed the threads she had subconsciously traversed so often before to see her father, if only in her dreams for a single night. When she found him, he was in the midst of a memory, her uncle arguing with him on some topic she couldn't care less about. She could, however, feel his distress and anguish at being the cause of another fight between the two of them. Since that wasn't something she was alright with in the slightest, she tore apart the scene with her magic, roughly pulling him out of it. A little more mental damage wouldn't make much of a difference at this point and really, it was the lesser evil at this point. She couldn't stay much longer, already feeling rather tired from the extensive use of magic and searched quickly and inelegantly through Klaus' mind to find something she knew would make him happy. She smiled when she found the perfect memory and forced him into it. Leaving her father's mind and pulling back into her own she smiled, satisfied with her actions and the small glow that emanated from the link indicating her father's happiness.   
  
"I make better, Mama, now Daddy happy!" She said, smiling and proud, to a confused Hayley.   
  


* * *

  
  
To be pulled as roughly as he was from the memory of one of his worst arguments with Elijah, Klaus was unsure whether to be grateful or not, considering the unpleasant way he had been ejected from said memory. He was surprised to find the pain of the dagger greatly suppressed and mentally sighed with relief at its absence, deciding not to question either the miracle or its duration. Just as his eyes readjusted to the darkness that surrounded him, he found his surroundings morphing once again to form another vision and he braced himself for the torment that was undoubtedly to come.   
  
Tears sprang into his eyes when he heard her voice, his heart simultaneously heavier and lighter at the same time. He turned to face her, drinking in the sight of her, reaching out ever so slightly but stopping himself, afraid that she would vanish if he got too close. In all that he had seen, all of his hallucinations and memories, not in one of them had he been blessed with the sight of her.   
  
" _Cami_ ," he breathed, relief and fear both warring in his chest as he restrained himself from embracing her. But he couldn't help himself as she turned towards him and he gathered her in his arms, holding her so close as he had always wished to but never could. He pressed a gentle kiss to her blond hair, inhaling her scent. God, he had missed her, more than even he had realised.    
  
Her laughter at his action filled him with joy; it had been so long since he had the pleasure of hearing it. He finally let go of her, albeit reluctantly, but needing to see her beautiful smile.   
  
Cami did grace him with a smile, laughing as she asked, "what was that for?"   
  
He simply shrugged, unsure how to put it in words, the utter relief and pure joy he had felt at simply just hearing her voice after so long. "I felt like it. Besides, aren't you the one who's been telling me to be more open?"   
  
"I'll give you that one," Cami laughed merrily. "Now that you've reached your emotions quota for the day, shall we? I want to see your other paintings before I drag you out for coffee, you've piqued my interest with this one." She gestured to the canvas in front of them. It was the one he had painted for Hope's nursery. Cami had had a field day analysing that one.   
  
His lips curved upwards and he led Cami to the room he had placed his finished pieces in, absorbing her chatter and taking in every nuance of her imperfectly perfect self, an ache he hadn't even realised that had settled in his heart finally subsiding.    
  
Later, sitting at a little corner-side cafe, sipping coffee as the day came to an end, he silently thanked whatever deity it was that had given him this reprieve. And as he pressed his lips to Cami's in a gentle kiss and held her close one last time, his battered heart was at peace. And even though he opened his eyes to shadows and the never ending pain of the dagger buried inside him, he felt lighter than he had in a long time, slight hope blossoming inside him.

 

* * *

  
  
Hayley stood in front of the man whom Hope had knocked unconscious the previous night. The man came to and immediately began struggling against the ropes she had used to bind him to a chair. Folding her arms against her chest, she looked at her daughter, eyebrow raised.   
  
"What do you think, Baby Girl? Torture first? Or should we play nice for once?"   
  
Hope giggled and hid her face in her hands and Hayley sighed. Questions first it seemed.   
  
The man glared at her defiantly from where he was sitting and the young woman smirked. "Hope sweetie, Mommy's going to need you to go play with your toys in the other room for a bit." As Hope nodded and left, tiny feet pitter pattering on the wooden floorboards, Hayley moved forward towards the man, lifting up his head with two fingers. "Now, what do we do with you?" She murmured. At his glare, she simply smiled. "I've been having a pretty bad year, it would probably be in your own best interests to answer any questions I have with complete honesty. Let's start with the easy stuff first, shall we? Who sent you after me and why?"   
  
When he stubbornly remained silent, she smiled slightly as she drew back a fist to punch him in the face, her eyes turning a brilliant amber, veins rippling under her skin and fangs elongating. "Oh buddy, you messed with the _wrong_ hybrid and let me tell you, I am _not_ in a forgiving mood today. So I'll ask you one last time, _who sent you_?" At his continued silence, her smile widened. This would be fun.   
  
Hope raised her head slightly as screams came from the adjoining room before continuing to play with her toys. It seemed Mommy wasn't going to go easy on the intruder. Somehow, she was completely ok with that.   
  


* * *

  
  
Vincent sat by Will's bed in the hospital waiting patiently for the drugs to wear off and the man to wake. An hour later, he was alerted by a groan coming from the bed and set his book aside as Will slowly came to.   
  
"What happened?"   
  
"Short story? Marcel got a little trigger happy, decided anything goes in his feud with the Mikaelsons. And he was sloppy about it. You got caught in the crossfire; lost a lot of blood too, I barely got you here in time."   
  
Will nodded slightly, wincing as he did so, deciding to ask for the full story at a later time. "So what now?" He asked Vincent who smirked slightly.   
  
"Now we take back our city, a little bit at a time. I've already taken back the church and I'm going to make it what Kieran had intended it to be, a sanctuary. Are you in?"   
  
"When do we start?" Came the unhesitating reply.   
  
"Oh, we just did."   
  


* * *

  
Marcel stood in front of the brick wall that encased the only father he had ever known, unsure why he was even there in the first place. Pacing in front of it for a moment, he took a deep breath and faced the wall, envisioning Klaus sitting on the other side as he had been when building the wall in the first place. Placing his hand flat on the cool bricks, he sighed.   
  
"You know, I used to look up to you at one point. You were my hero in just about every way there was. And I never understood what it was about me that you saw that day when you dragged me into your world. Hell, I barely even remember what it was that I did, I mean, I threw, what, an apple? An apple, at someone and you decided to take me in?   
  
"Hell, I don't know if you're listening, I don't even know if you care, but just, why? Why me? What was so damn special about that kid you saw more than three hundred years ago? I mean, all you keep saying is that I reminded you of you. Well, _I_ am not _you_! I'm _not_!" Marcel declared, his voice raised by the end, hand that had been flat against the wall now clenched into a fist. He lowered his arm to his side, calming himself down. "I'm not." He repeated softly before leaving.   
  


* * *

  
  
Kol ran a hand over his face, annoyed at his brother's response to what he had seen. "Elijah, I know what I saw! Klaus was there, right there and then he, I don't know, just disappeared!"   
  
"I am not discounting what you saw Kol, I am merely suggesting that there is possibly a more rational explanation." Said Elijah calmly, ever the voice of reason.   
  
"Freya never did tell us who it was exactly that built the illusion we are in." Kol said quietly. "You didn't see him, but I did. Elijah, if that was Nik, he's in bad shape. What the hell does that dagger do to people?"   
  
His older brother sighed before responding, before telling Kol of the horrors the small weapon provided. Kol hadn't focused much on the weapon before, it having been used mostly before his time in New Orleans, but now he found he wished that he had done so as he began to understand what Klaus endured for their sake, what he would continue to endure until such a time that Hayley found cures for their conditions.   
  
He looked up at Elijah, gaze filled with horror and fear for Klaus. His brother was strong, there was no doubt of that, despite what their father believed. But there was only so much even he could take. If he had ever any doubts of Klaus' love and concern for his siblings, what his brother now endured for their sake far surpassed them all. Dread pooled inside of him, thick and heavy, as he recalled the dreams he had been having of late. "Elijah," he began, voice wavering slightly, "just how strong exactly did Freya make the link between us and Klaus when she connected us to his life force?" 


	3. A New Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So this is getting a pretty good response so yay! How about we work towards getting me a couple comments too? Constructive criticism only, no hate please. I hope you all enjoy the chapter :)

Klaus smiled as he looked at his littlest wolf. She was playing with some toys in a room he didn't quite recognize but looked vaguely familiar. Ever since his child had managed to convince him through a brilliant display of her magic that she was no mere illusion and he was actually able to see her, he cherished the time he could spend with her. As he sat down next to her, raising a hand to run his fingers through her short blond hair, he couldn't bring himself to care about the room, simply drinking in the sight of his beautiful daughter. At the feather light touch of his hand on her hair, Hope looked up, lips curving into a brilliant smile as she threw herself into the arms of her father, squealing delightedly. " _Daddy_!"  
  
Klaus wrapped his own arms around her, holding her close. Finally letting her go and setting her down on the carpeted floor again, his fingers drifted to her hair again, tugging softly on a curl, asking his usual questions as had become a sort of routine between the two of them. "Have you been a good girl for your mother?" At her eager nod he laughed. "Been living up to the Mikaelson legacy of roguery and lovable devilishness?" It was Hope's turn to giggle at this question. "I'm taking that as a yes, you know!" Klaus told his daughter, grinning widely.  
  
He winced as needles of white hot pain from the blade embedded in him stabbed into his head, used to the pain by this time despite how unbearable it had been, having adjusted to it over time. Hope frowned in displeasure at the show of discomfort, minute as it was considering how well versed Klaus had become in hiding pain and hurts over the centuries. It had taken her a long time to draw him out from the shell he had retracted into, a defensive measure to protect his mind from the unending agony and darkness and she didn't appreciate the dagger undoing all of her hard work. She placed her hands flat on her father's cheeks, gazing into his eyes, using the touch to focus her magic on the source of his physical agony and wipe it out as best as she could for the time. It wouldn't last for long, but it would do for now. Klaus stared at her in wonder, eyes lining with silver as the pain ebbed away, the extent of her power leaving him speechless with awe. Hope just smiled up at him as she lowered her hands.  
  
They spent what appeared to be the whole afternoon together, father and daughter both simply enjoying each other's company, a moment in time hidden away for just the two of them, untainted by demons of the past or fears of the future. Beautiful and perfect in its simplicity.  
  


* * *

  
Hayley looked at the man in front of her, annoyed that he still refused to answer her questions. Fine then, time to take a page out of the Mikaelson's book on how to get answers during an interrogation. She plunged her hand into his chest, wrapping her fingers around his heart.  
  
"Why did you come here? How did you find me?" The man continued to glare at her and her grip on his heart tightened and she tugged at it ever so slightly and he cried out.  
  
"Now tell me, _why did you come_ and _how did you find me_?" The man glared at her before answering, intense emotion in his voice, utter belief in the truth of his words.  
  
"Vengeance on the behalf of our fallen members. The faction of the Strix that was based in the States was completely wiped out. It could be traced back to a few key players. We defend our sire line and we avenge our fallen brothers and sisters. Should one fall, another will rise and take its place. You were one of those labelled as dangers to our society, my mission was to take you down. I fail, another will come and after that another until those who died at your hand are avenged."  
  
"Are you kidding me? _Seriously_? I have been working to _protect_ your damn sire line, not to destroy it! I don't give a damn about the society Elijah founded, I don't have the time, energy or luxury to go around killing you morons! The 'faction' or whatever you want to call it, based in the States was wiped out by someone who wanted Elijah dead and believe me, that is the last thing I want!"  
  
"I- what? The intel that we have specifically shows you and a few others-"  
  
"Yes, when they were trying to kill me and my family!" Hayley cut him off, greatly annoyed.  
  
"The American faction had certainly built up some ulterior motives over time... that it was to this extent..." the man mumbled. "You mentioned our sire." He suddenly addressed Hayley who was debating the pros and cons of just ripping out his heart and being done with the matter altogether. "We know he's been hurt because of the failure of our society in recent times."  
  
"I'm sorry, but aren't _I_ the one who should be asking the question here?"  
  
"Torture and kill me as you will, but The Strix needs to know what venom it is that runs through his veins so that we can counteract it."  
  
"And why would you help me, two minutes ago you were telling me how I'm going to be tracked down for the rest of my life!"  
  
"The mission comes before vengeance, always. If your words are true and any opposition The Strix has faced by you is simply self defense in the face of a corrupt motive, you may be an ally instead of an enemy. We prefer to keep our allies alive but first they must be determined as such. We are not helping you so much as using you to ensure the continued survival of our sire." The man was calm, cool and collected despite the fact that Hayley's hand was still buried in his chest, wrapped around his heart. And Hayley realises what exactly it was that she was seeing. It was pure belief in and dedication to a cause where even the finality of death was not feared and she could see the barest traces of what Elijah had hoped to accomplish when he established his society. It was that which led her to leave the man's heart, to draw back her hand and take a step back.  
  
"That child you saw, the one playing in the other room right now," she began, pointing in the direction of the wall, voice hard. "She is your proof. That is Klaus Mikaelson's child, Elijah's niece. Any time I may have fought against a member of the Strix it was for them, it was in defense of Elijah, of my family."  
  
The man nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Hayley's. "In that case, on behalf of the Strix, I would like to propose an alliance."  
  


* * *

  
Marcel stood in front of the brick wall that encased the only father he had ever known, unsure why he was even there in the first place. Pacing in front of it for a moment, he took a deep breath and faced the wall, envisioning Klaus sitting on the other side as he had been when building the wall in the first place. Placing his hand flat on the cool bricks, he sighed.  
  
"You know, I used to look up to you at one point. You were my hero in just about every way there was. And I never understood what it was about me that you saw that day when you dragged me into your world. Hell, I barely even remember what it was that I did when we first met, I mean, I threw, what, an _apple_? An apple, at someone and you decided to take me in?  
  
"I don't know if you're listening, I don't even know if you care, but just, _why_? Why me? What was _so damn special_ about that kid you saw more than three hundred years ago? I mean, all you keep saying is that I reminded you of you. Well, _I am not you_! I'm not!" Marcel declared, his voice raised by the end, hand that had been flat against the wall now clenched into a fist. He lowered his arm to his side, calming himself down. "I'm not." He repeated softly before leaving.  
  


* * *

  
Klaus held Hope close against his chest as she slumbered peacefully, the child exhausted after all they had done together but still subconsciously holding together the dream plane on which the two could be together. He couldn't prevent his thoughts from going to how she proved to him that she wasn't a mere illusion, a trick of his weary mind.  
  
He had withdrawn deep into himself in the endless darkness of where Marcel had placed him, had withdrawn so deep that he hardly even knew himself anymore and he couldn't bring himself to care. Until a spark had brought him out. A golden burst of the shadow of a wolf had led him out of the darkness of his own mind. He had fought against it at first, unwilling to leave the safety of his mind. He remembered how the wolf had persisted, eventually forcing him out after what had felt like an eternity, piecing the bits of him that had been scattered around with the torn shreds of his sanity, slowly remaking him into what he had been. To find out that it had been Hope, that it was she who had slowly, painstakingly put him back together as best as she knew how... his heart swelled with love and pride at his littlest wolf and he swore to himself that no matter how long he had to suffer, no matter how long it took before he saw his family in person, he wouldn't lose himself like that again. He had a duty to his child and he would damn well be there for her to complete it.  
  


* * *

  
Freya sighed contentedly as she made herself and Kol some hot chocolate before settling down on the couch to watch a movie. He hadn't fully forgiven her for what she and Elijah had done to Davina, but they were getting there. She cuddled into his side as he played the movie; it was some romantic comedy that Rebekah had insisted they watch, saying that since they had so much time on their hands, it was necessary that they catch up on the half century worth of movies they had missed out on. The two of them spent the afternoon sprawled out on the couch, laughing at the humor in the movie and simply enjoying each other's presence in a way they hadn't been able to before.  
  
This is how it should be, Freya realised as the movie ended, both their lips still curved up in smiles and the echoes of laughter still filling the room. Without thinking about it, she tackled Kol in a hug, wrapping her arms around his waist. Not expecting it, Kol actually fell back against the back of the couch, bringing up his own arms around her as he chuckled.  
  
"Whatever was that for?" He asked, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he smiled, bemused by her actions. Freya looked up at him, eyes sparkling with unshed tears of happiness and he held her a little closer, brows furrowing in concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. Everything is just about as perfect as it can be." She smiled, letting go of him and sitting up. "We still have about forty years of movies to catch up on, I say we cross another off the list today. What do you think?"  
  
"I'll get the list and you make us some of your amazing coffee?"  
  
Freya's burst into a huge grin as she stood up and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Best damn cup of coffee you've ever seen." She promised.  
  


* * *

  
Marcel looked up from his glass as he heard someone approach the stool where he was sitting at the bar. The man asked for some bourbon and then turned to him, a wide grin on his face, crystal blue eyes open and frank, no trace of anything darker or any malicious intent in them.  
  
"You know, my buddy and I once practically drained the bar back home of all its good bourbon. Sad really, but then again, problems of living in a small town, it comes with the territory. They aren't half as peaceful as they look." The stranger gave a little half-laugh; it was a bit forced as if it brought up bad memories. Marcel could relate to those if nothing else. The man sighed before continuing. "That was a while back though. It's been some time since we went drinking together- that's my fault though, considering I left. Anyway, point is, its nice to see my favourite drink in so much supply here."  
  
Marcel sighed, really not in the mood for small talk. "Look man, I've had a really long day-"  
  
"That's ok, my best friend once told me  I'm not good at trivialities but she's one to talk. Thing is, a little birdie told me you know a friend of mine who I was looking for, I was hoping you could help me find him."  
  
"Whoever it is, I probably don't know them." Came the dry response as Marcel turned back to his drink, draining it in one go and gesturing to the bartender for a refill.  
  
"I haven't even told you his name! Besides, I kind of need to find him and he's not the kind someone in our community would be able to miss, he always puts on a good show, rather dramatic if we're being honest, quite Shakespearean on the whole but he manages to pull off the theatrics somehow. Blonde, British and a thousand years old, give or take. Goes by the name Klaus Mikaelson." Marcel's heart skipped a beat and he looked up to face the man, suspicion and surprise clearly evident on his face.  
  
Damon Salvatore just smiled innocently. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I have no idea how to go about bringing back Cami so please don't expect that. Also, while Plec will probably make Klaroline canon at some point, I don't have any particular intention of giving Klaus a love interest. My character trajectory for him is based around family, not a romantic subplot.  
> Also,, while the show will probably gloss over how Hayley dealt with a lot of the shit on her own so I basically intend on providing her with some form of help or a support system.


	4. Darkening Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unresolved issues concerning the death of a certain witch are brought up and worked through. Klaus continues to suffer from hallucinations due to the blade inside him and Hayley finds help in an unexpected source

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! How y'all doin? Hope you enjoy this chapter and please consider leaving a couple comments? :)

_Klaus looked at his elder brother, fear gripping his heart as the hallucination showed him only Elijah's unforgiving gaze. Whatever it was that he had done, Klaus was entirely certain that he deserved possibly every bit of Elijah's wrath. Over the centuries they had spent together, it had seemed as if there was nothing his brother wouldn't forgive him for, but Klaus just kept **pushing** and **pushing** , testing his brother's famed patience as if it was nothing more than a game. After all, who could he rely on if not Elijah?_

_But looking into those now cold, hard eyes, pulled not from visions of his greatest fear but from memory, Klaus' breath caught in his chest. The worst part was knowing it to be his own fault. That day when it all went to hell, when they were in Lucien's apartment trying desperately for more time, grasping at straws in hopes of the thought of a cure, it must have been the first time Klaus had truly told Elijah what he meant to him. And regret pooled in his heart that he had not done so before, that he had taken his brother for granted for so long. Whispers of apologies fell from his lips but he doubted words could ever be enough after all he had forced Elijah to endure. And when the hallucination faded, bringing back the pain from the dagger embedded in him, he embraced it. It was but a small penance for what his family had had to suffer because of him._

* * *

 

Marcel pushed Damon up against the wall, fangs bared and black veins rippling underneath his skin. Damon, for his part, seemed entirely unperturbed, something Marcel would have found strange if he had given time to think of it. "Who the hell _are_ you?" He asked the younger vampire in a voice that promised violence no matter the situation. "And what in God's name would you want from _Klaus Mikaelson_?"

The grin never fell from Damon's face as he took in Marcel's features, the hybrid he had become, so similar to a vampire's yet so very different. His grin never faltered even as black veins slightly rippled underneath his own skin before disappearing. His eyes, while they darkened ever so slightly, remained a clear blue, a stark contrast to Marcel's own blood red irises. "Let's just say I'm something of a friend and leave it at that, alright? Besides, no need to worry, I was just passing through, thought I'd drop by, check on the kid, be a right pain in the ass like he was to me when in my town. You know, the usual. No big deal." Damon was entirely nonchalant about it all as he shrugged. There was a look in his eyes that Marcel had absolutely no intention of analysing as his rage built.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise. Do you actually even care about anything or is everything just a joke to you right now?"

If anything, Damon's smirk only widened at that. "Funny things are."

"You have no idea what you're stepping into so I suggest you turn around and crawl back to wherever the hell you came from."

Damon's smile dropped for a fraction of a second at Marcel's words, the change in expression almost to quick and minute to catch. What gave it away was the unmistakable way his eyes hardened even as a smile still played about his lips. "See, I think I do have an idea about what I'm willingly stepping into." He said pleasantly. "I think, that you're clearly a different kind of hybrid and a new one at that. I've been around, seen a lot of things over the years, but nothing like you. I think, based on your reaction, that you and Klaus probably used to be close till he pissed you off one too many times and I think, that you decided to hurt him back. How am I doing so far?"

* * *

 

Hayley untied the man from the chair. He glared slightly as he stood, rubbing his wrists which had chafed against the rope. "Did you have to tie them so tight?" Hayley looked at him pointedly. "Yeah, dumb question. I'm Chris, by the way." The hybrid smiled slightly at the awkwardly given introduction.

"Hayley, but I'm guessing you already knew that. Assuming that we're going to leave asap, I'm gonna go get Hope. You betray me or put my daughter in danger and I'll rip your heart out myself. Understood?" Her eyes glowed a pale amber, a feral smile playing about her lips and Chris nodded slowly as she left the room.

Hope looked at her mother as if trying to ask if she was sure about what she was doing. Hayley could practically _feel_ the three year old judging her, something that was pretty unnerving. "Mommy?" Hope asked and wow, her kid definitely didn't learn that tone of 'we're all screwed and you just haven't admitted it yet' from her.

"Mommy knows what she's doing sweetie, don't worry." She knelt down beside Hope, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. 'But just in case, I give you full permission to take out any threats, ok?" Hope nodded, satisfied, little sparks flying from her raised fingers. God, this family definitely terrified her sometimes.

* * *

 

Freya sighed as they began this never-ending fight once again. Some days it seemed as if Kol would never forgive her for what they had done to the young witch. That was sixty percent of the reason why she was already looking into alternative ways of raising the dead, she was quite sure her aunt must have had some spell or the other set up that she could modify. The problem at hand, however-

"Sometimes I wonder just who classifies as merely pawns for this family."

"I'm sorry Kol, but Elijah and I did what we had to do. I'm sorry Davina had to pay the price for that. Do you think I _wanted_ her to suffer?"

"I think you didn't care as long as you got what you wanted. What is it with my siblings always trying to destroy anything I hold interest in? Did what you had to? You had to help me get her back!" As Kol's rage built, so did Freya's own. The choice she and Elijah had made was one born out of necessity and there wasn't a day when she didn't wonder if she could have found any other way.

"That's why Klaus and Hayley opposed our decision. But if we had hesitated even a little longer, Klaus, Rebekah and Hayley would all be _dead_! By the time we got there, Lucien was about to pull out Hayley's heart! Did you know that part? Do you know how Elijah and I found them when we finally got there? The mother of your niece coughing blood, Lucien's hand wrapped around her _heart_ and Klaus was on his _knees_ , Kol. It was a battle they _couldn't_ win. I'm not about to let our family go so easily for the sake of a single witch. Not when I've just found you."

Kol was stunned into silence, his mind trying to absorb, understand and adjust to the new information given to him. "Klaus didn't agree with what you did?" He asked. Freya started, surprise showing clearly on her face. 

"You didn't know?" Kol shook his head and Freya raised a hand to her face in shock. "Did he tell _anyone_ that he had nothing to do with what happened?" The question was a harsh whisper as she collapsed on the sofa, eyes betraying her shock and disbelief at her younger brother.

Kol sat down next to her and she leaned into him, taking comfort from his presence. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "Considering how both Marcel and Vincent blamed him for it too, I'm going to assume he didn't." He said in response to her question.

"Our brother is an idiot." She stated. Kol hummed in agreement before sighing.

"Was that really how you found them that day?" Freya didn't require much clarification as to which day he meant and lay her head on Kol's shoulder, shoulders quivering with rage as she recalled that moment.

"Lucien was threatening to kill Hayley if Klaus didn't kneel before him. Klaus's pride against his mercy."

Kol shuddered against her side. "He really did that?" Freya nodded, her head still resting on his shoulder, arms around his waist, unable to bring herself to speak. Kol tightened his hold around her. "If that bastard was still alive I'd kill him myself. Maybe I'd rip his spine out first though. Or something else equally important. String him up for the world to see what happens when you mess with a Mikaelson. That would be amusing, wouldn't it sister?" She laughed a little at that and the tension flowed out of their bodies as if it never existed in the first place. They sat there in silence, Freya cuddling into her brother's side till Kol spoke, his voice soft. "I do forgive you Freya. I'm never going to agree with what you did, but I do forgive you."

* * *

 

Hayley walked unhesitatingly into the building Chris led her to, stepping through the doorway that separated her from members of a society that had tried to harm her family on so many occasions. Her head was held high, a thousand different scenarios running through her mind and ways with how to deal with them. Her gaze fell upon those inside, vampires she didn't know much less trust. But then, in an ironic twist of fate, she had to trust them in order to find the cures she needed. She felt Hope tighten her small arms around her and pure determination gripped her. She and Hope would be reunited with their family. Hayley would do whatever it took to ensure that. Her daughter would not live a life of loneliness and fear. Their cycle of pain ended with her and Hayley would go to the end of the world to make sure of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, about Damon, presume everything after season 6 doesn't exist. Hell, probably some of the end of season 6 too. I don't go much into his backstory as he doesn't feature much in the later chapters but point is, no Elena in his life during my fic and he's friends with Bonnie without any of the bullshit issues the show keeps making up so that they have some form of conflict to raise interests. Also, I think I set Bonnie up with Kai but its never explicitly stated. The only reason I'm even mentioning this is because I wrote this and the next couple chapters a few months back when we didn't know about the time skip which I then proceeded to incorporate into this. End point: this basically explains a couple lines where I reference or mention something which is affected by this and I don't want anyone to be confused or like this doesn't add up. If you still have questions or I made you even more confused, don't hesitate to let me know and I'll be happy to clarify.


	5. Burning flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it! I hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave a comment on your way out! :)

Rebekah came running into the room, lips upturning in a smile, eyes shining. "It's snowing! I hadn't even realised that it did that here!" She grabbed Freya's hands, pulling her off the couch and twirling her across the room. It was then that her siblings finally noticed the little white flecks in her hair and on her shirt.

"I hadn't either!" Freya said, laughing. Her younger sister's happiness at such a small thing was contagious and the girls soon ended up pulling the boys off the couch as well, Rebekah dragging Elijah and Freya dragging Kol outside. Well, to be fair, they didn't really have to be dragged but a token protest was never amiss.

Outside, snow blanketed the ground in a thick white covering. Kol was the first to bury his hands into the unmarred snow and shape it into something vaguely resembling a snowball before throwing it at Rebekah. His aim was true and she received an uncomfortably cold snowball to the face. Rebekah just grinned savagely as she wiped the snow from her face. "Dear brother, I do hope you realise, you've just declared war. And I take such declarations _very_ seriously."

"I should expect no less, sister." Was Kol's reply as Rebekah collected snow to throw at him. What followed was an all out, everything goes snowball fight between the two. After a few minutes Freya even joined, using her magic to fling the both of them into snow piles. The grounds became a battlefield when Elijah joined the fray. It was perhaps the most carefree the Mikaelson siblings had felt in a long, long time.

Later, as they cuddled on the couch in front of a blazing fire, stereo playing classic, cheesy christmas songs and mugs of hot chocolate in hand, Rebekah suddenly stood and grabbed a pen and some paper. She sat back down next to Freya, a little unsure but as determined as ever.

"I know it's not exactly a bonfire and I have no idea what time of the year it actually is or how long we've been in here, but it is tradition. It feels wrong not to."

Kol was the first to lean forward and grab the paper and pen from her hands, a grin on his face as he did so. "Don't worry Beks, we're not letting go of tradition just yet." He scribbled something down, winked at his younger sister and shoved the pad in Elijah's direction, waving it around a little. "Come on brother, don't disappoint." Elijah rolled his eyes at Kol's antics but smiled, accepting the pad and writing something down before passing it to Freya who took it happily.

Rebekah smiled sadly as they burned their wishes. "I wish Klaus and Hayley could be here too. And little Hope of course. It doesn't feel right without them. Especially after-" She cut herself off, swallowing harshly and forcing a smile as tears lined her eyes. "But never mind that. I'm just happy we're all alive. Sort of."

Kol wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and Freya and Elijah got up to hug her too. A few stray tears spilled from Rebekah's eyes but Freya wiped them away with a gentle smile. "'Bekah, I promise you, we _will_ all be together. No matter how long it takes. We're Mikaelsons, remember? No one can keep us apart for too long. Forever and always, right?"

At those words, Rebekah buried her head in Freya's neck, harsh sobs pushing their way past her lips even as her arms encircled her brothers' waists, drawing strength from their presence. "That was a _child's_ promise! Just like the lost, lonely, scared _children_ that we were!" Elijah pressed a kiss to the top of her head at that, sadness pooling in his eyes at that.

"It may have been a child's promise but it's one that has held together even the shattered monsters that those children became." He told her, causing a few more tears to spill from her eyes, tracking wet trails over her cheeks.

"I know but I just miss him, so so much!" She cried out. "Is it too much to ask we all be together for once without either something after us or us fighting amongst ourselves?" Freya brought her hands up to hold Rebekah, attempting to soothe her youngest sibling's troubled mind.

Kol slung an arm around her shoulders, smirking slightly. "Come on, Rebekah, it wouldn't be us if it were any different. Please don't cry, Nik would have our heads for not taking care of you properly enough." He joked, sobering up at Elijah's glare, running his fingers lightly through her open hair. "We miss him too," he said quietly.

Rebekah lifted her head from where it rested on Freya's neck, eyes slightly tinged red and cheeks tearstained. "I know." She said equally quietly. "I know."

"Then you should know that it also wouldn't be us if we weren't reunited at some point." Kol continued. "We _are_ the original family and nothing and no one can tear us apart for too long. Probably because Klaus and Elijah would kill them." He finished with a grin, his words causing the others to laugh involuntarily. "Right, Elijah?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement." Elijah said with a perfectly straight face.

~

"I'm sorry," Hayley shook her head, trying to understand what exactly the witch was telling. "That doesn't - how on Earth - can you explain it to me again?"

"Don't take it personally, it took me a few times before I got it either." Chris said sympathetically. "Katie, if you don't mind, for us non-witch people, in simple terms?" The witch in question, Katie, smiled and nodded. She was a pretty young thing, belonging to one of the covens of the Strix.

"The hybrid that bit your family, he was made one through, essentially, magic. Thus, by default, it means his venom is also magic, correct?" Hayley nodded, some understanding dawning upon her. "The stake that had a curse on it is, by very definition, magic. Two poisons then, are magic. The third is poison which is most likely, again, magic."

"Ok, so everything is magic. How does that help me?" Hayley asked, impatient to get to the solution now that she was so close after so very long.

"Simple, if something is caused by magic, then it can be undone-"

"By magic? How?" By some miracle, Katie was much nicer than the other witches Hayley had known and didn't hex her for being impatient and interrupting her continuously.

"They are rare, but there is a coven that had witches who can siphon magic. Their numbers have greatly decreased due to recent events but some do still live."

"No." Chris looked questioningly at Hayley as she spoke, confused by what she said. Katie was equally surprised, but refrained from commenting until Hayley explained. "I have some vague idea of what you're talking about and I'm pretty sure it can be traced back to Mystic Falls. In which case, no. That town and its problems are staying far away from my baby and my family. We have enough problems of our own."

"I'm sorry but that's the only way I know to help without the exact specifics of the poisons that were used. Even if we had cures, the wrong one could just as easily kill them as heal them."

"That's definitely out of the question then." Hayley muttered as she looked at Hope. "Guess we're paying a trip to the town that started it all. You'll hate it, sweetie, I know I did." Hope just looked up at her mother and giggled.

~

Klaus opened his eyes to familiar blue eyes and blonde hair and he smiled sadly. Ever since that first memory had come, it had opened a floodgate and images of Cami filled his mind as much as hallucinations of his siblings did. His heart ached as he took her in, allowing his walls to come down in the way he had always done while in her presence. He couldn't hide from her, from his angel. With her, he had always been uniquely vulnerable, open in a way he could never be with any other. She had held him in her hands, had access to every part of him and he wasn't even sure that she had ever realised that. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to mind, couldn't bring himself to regret that he had given her his scarred and frayed heart, even knowing how their story had come to an end.

~

Damon took in the grand old building that had once been a church and was now proclaimed a sanctuary. He would be almost impressed at all the changes one building had gone through in the span of a few years, but well, he didn't really care anymore. Right now, it was just another means to an end. He was angry with the world and nearly everyone in it. Since Mystic Falls had nothing left for him anymore, fucking shit up for Klaus in whichever small way he could had sounded amusing at the time. Coming to New Orleans and finding out the Original had already screwed up his own life was... disappointing. Now Damon was bored and had no outlet for his rage. How rude. And the inhabitants of this city were so unwelcoming too! He really hated witches.

Vampires didn't like other vamps crossing into their turf uninvited, it was an unspoken rule that went without saying. Newbies were either informed by their sire or forced to find out the hard way. Staking another vamp over such a transgression was overkill though, Damon thought as he looked down at his damp, bloodstained shirt, irritated. After their little, _chat_ , shall we say, a pissed off Marcel had literally staked him. His aim was terrible though, and Damon wondered what on Earth Klaus had been teaching him, considering that the older vampire had missed his heart by a full centimetre.

On the whole, rather disappointing for an honorary Mikaelson. Either way, he now had to go with plan number two. Fuck shit up through powerful witches. This should be fun, he thought as he fingered a small strap of leather in his jacket pocket. His fingertips burned as they passed over the small piece of metal that held vervain but he ignored the pain as he walked into the old building. Here's to nothing.

~

Rebekah gasped with delight as she uncovered the old record player hidden away in one of the rooms near the end of the mansion Freya had imagined for them. She adored the old quality that had been present in such things and with a childlike pleasure immediately set to trying to see that it worked. Finding that it not only worked but also had some of her favourite records of music she immediately put it on.

As the strains of music long forgotten and belonging to times long past filled the room, Rebekah found herself moving involuntarily with the music. Soon she was dancing through the room, muscle memory pulling her into dance steps that had long since fallen out of fashion. Closing her eyes and allowing the music to hold her in its gentle embrace and flow through her, she moved with complete abandon.

She opened her eyes, startled, as she felt a pair of hands settle on her waist and shoulder and spin her across the room. She was met with familiar blue eyes, dirty blond hair and a smirk only one person she had ever known to be able to pull off. "Klaus?" She asked quietly, unable to believe her eyes. Slowly moving her hands up to his shoulders, afraid he would disappear at any given moment, she gasped at the very soft very real material of his shirt. She drew him close at that, buried her face in his neck, breathing him in. "How?" She asked, desperately praying for this not to be some cruel dream.

"I stopped questioning the semantics of it all a while ago dear sister." Klaus replied smoothly and Rebekah revelled in the sound of the British accent that was purely his own, one that none of the siblings shared with him. "Do you remember when it was expected of a brother to have the first dance with his sister?" He asked suddenly.

Rebekah nodded, smiling a little. "You would glare at almost everyone who dared ask me for a dance. I almost thought you enjoyed scaring off, if not killing, every potential suitor of mine." Klaus chuckled at that.

"Of course I did, none of them were deserving enough for my little sister. I may be a bastard, but I'm a protective one."

Rebekah did laugh at that, exclaiming, "at least you finally admit it!" Klaus shrugged, smiling as he continued to maneuver her across the room in a complicated dance routine they hadn't done in a few centuries.

Rebekah gazed at her brother, as if committing his features to memory. She needn't have bothered though, seeing as they were already etched onto her heart. A few stray tears dripped down her cheeks as she realised that this, whatever this was would end soon. "I don't want you to go! I want you to stay here, with us!" She cried out and Klaus smiled gently, brushing away her tears and kissing her forehead softly.

"As do I Rebekah. But I can't and we both know why. Take care of yourself and our siblings for me will you?" He kissed her cheek and spun her, letting go of her hand as he did so. When she managed to stop herself, she choked down a sob as he looked at where he had been just a moment before, her heart already telling her what she wished desperately to deny. Klaus was gone. 


	6. Lines in the sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since it was Christmas, I decided to post 2 chapters. For the record, this the SECOND chapter I'm posting today. Read, enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment on your way out! :)

"Well," Hayley said to Hope as she slammed the car door shut. "That was a bust." Mystic Falls was an absolute mess. The witches capable of siphoning magic were all either dead or in the wind and Hayley trusted Caroline about as far as she could throw her. Which, admittedly, may actually be quite a distance, but it's the thought that counts. The two people she knew from experience who may have actually been able to help her get something done in this town were who knows where, completely untraceable and probably not going to be coming back any time soon. Not that she could blame them. This town held nothing good for anyone. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she dialled Chris to let him know when to expect her. There was no way she was staying in this town any longer than necessary.

"Tell your witch this dead end town is exactly that, a dead end. I need another way. Any and all leads I could have gotten here are stone cold and belong in Canada near or in the Artic Circle." She said as soon as he picked up.

"Hayley? Do you require the Strix to send _motivation_ for the required witch? I assure you, if Katie thought this to be the best way to ensure our sire's continued survival then it is the best way." Chris replied, slightly confused at Hayley's words.

"Considering the fact that any and all of the witches in this town that may have helped are either dead or have, sensibly, left, it's not as if I have much of a choice here myself. I have a three year old, I am _not_ going on a wild goose chase across the states." She told him, irritated at the lack of progress being made.

"I'm afraid that is exactly what you may have to do. Katie does, however, believe she might be able to reverse engineer a cure for the eldest Mikaelson's poison. She said that if she's right about the venom that was used, besides the usual effects that are generally present, it attacks a witch's magic specifically, corrupting and tearing it apart and destroying him or her from the inside."

"So what does she need from me?" Chris hesitated a little before answering, unsure how Hayley may take it.

"She needs Freya's body. Preferably also some of her blood."

"She's adorable. No offense, but I don't know, much less trust, this witch and there is no way I am leaving Freya's body in her hands much less giving her some of Freya's blood! I may not know much about witchcraft but even I know that you don't do that unless you trust the witch completely." Hayley ranted as Chris sighed.

"Somehow, that reaction is completely unsurprising." He said dryly and Hayley rolled her eyes.

"Then you shouldn't have asked a dumb question. Now, do I keep driving around aimlessly or will you tell me the location of your uber secret, invite only, Strix base?"

"Come to New York City. I'll meet you there." Hayley could hear the long suffering tone of his voice easily and smirked. Why ever should she be the only one suffering?

~

Katie actually looked excited when Chris brought Hayley to her again. The young witch was practically bouncing on her feet, a wide grin on her face. Barely waiting for Hayley to as much as say hello, she launched into explaining her idea. "I think I may have figured out what Freya's poison is and maybe even a potential cure. But I need to be sure if it is what I think it is."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Hayley asked her. Katie's face fell a little, remembering Hayley's less than stellar refusal to let her see Freya's body before.

"I'm going to need some of her blood." Katie said and hurried to continue seeing the look on Hayley's face. "Only a little bit! And I don't have much of a choice to do it any other way." At Hayley's mutinous look, she went on softly. "This is the only way forward that I know. If there was another way besides trial and error, I would have found it."

"Fine! But if anything happens to her because of that, I don't care whose protection you're under. I will find you and kill you myself. Understand?" Katie nodded while Chris sighed.

"If you could refrain from threatening our witch, it would be appreciated." He said in a bored tone of voice. Hayley's eyes shone yellow for the briefest of moments.

"No one hurts my family."

"Fair enough and no one part of this society will. Elijah Mikaelson isn't a simple sponsor, he is our sire. All factions of this society with the sole exception of, evidently, the former faction in the States understand that to attack or endanger one Mikaelson is to anger them all. My sincerest apologies for their idiocy and failure to understand the most basic of rules concerning the Originals. Anyway, thank you Katie, that _was_ quite helpful. Anything else about the curses?"

"Rebekah will need a siphoner. I can only find temporary solutions for her curse on my own. So far that's the best solution I have although I am still looking. About the hybrid venom, I would suggest firstly to try the blood of the hybrid to whom the venom belongs but..."

"We tried that once. I lost a good friend because it didn't work." Hayley finished for her. Katie nodded and continued.

"Exactly, then I remembered that you said something about the seven werewolf packs." Hayley nodded. "I did some research and I think that most likely, the cure will be in a blend of all of their blood or reverse engineered venom."

"Great work Katie, I'll send someone to check the archives. We probably have some information pertaining to wolves and their packs. If we can track them down maybe we can form some kind of alliance or broker a deal. It's worth a try." Chris said, smiling at the witch. Katie nodded and turned around to leave before hesitating and looking at Hayley.

"I do hope you get your family back soon. And that they know how much you were willing to do for them."

Hayley smiled tightly at the young witch. "I hope so too."

~

The status quo of New Orleans was something that was really getting to Vincent at this point. It wasn't that he wanted power, all he wanted was to go and live his life in relative peace without the problems of vampires or witches haunting him every time he turned around. Unfortunately, Marcel was acting little more than a child throwing a temper tantrum and as such, needed to be dealt with.

While the vampire had been building up his little army and trying to strengthen his hold over the city, Vincent had been pretty busy himself. Since they had destroyed the ancestors' connection to the city, he had had to find other methods of practising magic. That had taken a while, but he figured it out eventually and taught the other covens too. He'd rather bow down to Marcel than leave his people defenseless. (Because wasn't it the same as doing just that if he didn't help them? If he simply left the witches of New Orleans to the tender mercies of vampires?)

He looked up as the door of the church opened and a black haired vampire walked inside. Over time he had been able to differentiate between vampire and human relatively easily, noticing certain things about vampires that gave them away easily enough if you knew what to look for. "Can I help you?" Vincent wasn't particularly friendly but he wasn't too cold either, quite an achievement considering his instinctive mistrust of them. The vampire smirked at the question and Vincent could already sense the trouble that this vampire would leave in his wake.

"Well, you see, I'm a very bored person and I don't particularly have much of anything to give me a reason to keep going-"

"So you decide to come to my city and mess things up?" Vincent cut in. If anything, the raven haired vampire's smirk widened.

"Absolutely!" Vincent's expression darkened and he raised his hands ever so slightly, hexes ready to fall from his lips at any moment. "Oh sorry, haven't introduced myself. Damon Salvatore, history with Klaus Mikaelson and extremely unimpressed by the honorary Mikaelson currently ruling New Orleans. At your service." Damon mock bowed as metaphorical warning bells went off in Vincent's head.

~

"I never did ask." Elijah's voice made Klaus turn around on instinct to face his elder brother. "The way you killed our mother, giving her the opportunity to turn and ironically become the very thing she hated... was that out of spite or revenge?"

"Bit of both, really." The younger Mikaelson replied, chuckling slightly. They were both in a clearing in woods he hadn't been in for over a thousand years. At least, not physically and not as he was seeing it now. The last time he had seen it was after he had recovered Elijah after Esther kidnapped and tortured him. Then and even now, he was willing to do anything to keep his brother safe although that time, Elijah's enemy had been his own mind. Point was, no one hurt what was his and walked away still standing. No one.

Elijah looked at him, unsure what to make of his answer. "Niklaus, while agreeing with your methods is possibly the last thing I do, I can generally still understand the basics of your reasoning behind them. Not much more than the basics, mind, because the rest generally involves some kind of pain or blades inside me or someone else and a few unnecessary curses before the day is over."

"Oh come on, not _all_ of my plans involve those, just a lot of them!" Klaus said, laughing. "And besides, everything turns out alright in the end! Maybe not _everyone_ but _everything_ is fine in the end."

Elijah inclined his head, considering it before nodding. "I'll give you that but how about next time we try and make sure _everyone_ is also alright in the end?" Klaus just grinned noncommittal, as was to be expected. A grin found its way to Elijah's own face as he shook his head at his younger brother's antics before remembering his original question. "So why _did_ you choose that manner of death for our mother?"

Klaus shrugged. "Do you really need to ask? She tried to kill us on multiple occasions, hurt you and Rebekah, played with your mind and cursed me so my wolf side would be suppressed for a millenia. Even when we were children, she devised ways to keep me from reaching my full potential so that her infidelity wouldn't be discovered. No one hurts our family, Elijah. Not even family."

~

Freya threw her hands up in celebration, cheeering softly at what she had finally managed to find. She had been looking for a way to possibly bring back Davina for Kol, even if it could only be possible for a little while. Looking through the grimoires of her mother and aunt, she had finally come across something that may actually work once they woke up. She had found the spell her mother had used to body jump very easily, but with the problems that had arisen concerning the other side, forging a connection between the two sides without either ripping the world in half or allowing other people to come through. But finally, _finally_ , she had found a way. She could finally fix what she and Elijah had done. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I'm essentially ignoring most of TVD cannon beyond like half of season 6. Bonnie is currently in a relationship with Kai because her and Enzo was just too random and Kai was a lot of fun. They don't make an appearance but they are referenced one or two chapters later and I don't even think by name. Point is, they are out of Mystic Falls, still on goodish terms with Damon and Elena is... not in the picture, end of story. Just in case you were confused :)


	7. And Time Goes On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, Imma be real honest here, I just keep forgetting to upload this to this site. But, given that eventually I want all my originals works here and I'm procrastinating on other stuff, why the hell not? Also there's some stuff I've been meaning to fix with this anyway. Hope y'all are still interested :)

 

 

 

Hayley was worried about her daughter. Hope may have been only six, but she lived the life of someone much older. She was strong, there was no doubt about that, but Hayley could tell how much she needed the rest of their family. They had yet to as much as rescue Klaus from Marcel who had hidden Klaus away somewhere inside New Orleans, a place Hayley dared not go. The only way she even still knew the father of her child as still alive was because of the fact that his siblings still lived. Well, kind of. Technically Freya was the only one still _actually_ alive.

Their bodies were at Strix headquarters, Katie monitoring them like a hawk after Hayley had finally accepted that it was impractical to keep moving them around with her and decided to trust Katie and Chris with some of the most important people in her life. Also, this way it was easier for the young witch to keep track of their various curses/poisons and ways to counteract them.

They had already found the antidote to Freya's poison and had treated her with it almost two years ago. The eldest Mikaelson had made her spell in such a way as that they wouldn't wake up until everyone of them was cured and even then, they would all wake up together. Hayley had tracked down four of the seven wolf packs in the past few years, forming alliances and brokering pacts. They had each provided her with blood and venom which Katie was working on using to try and create an antidote. They even had a few leads on where to find the remaining packs and Hayley was actually feeling slightly hopeful for once.

To find the cures she needs, she had traveled the world by this point, Italy, Greece, London, Australia and even Canada to name a few. The main problem was in finding a siphon for Rebekah's curse. By rare, Katie had meant, nearly _extinct_. She could only hope she stumbled upon one eventually.

The issue at hand, however, was Hope. Her daughter was rubbing her chest as if in pain, her little nose scrunched up just like whenever she was given something healthy to eat. "Is your chest hurting sweetie?" She asked Hope, ready to dole out whichever medicine the situation called for.

"It always hurts, Mama." Hayley's undead heart twisted in her chest at those words, unsure if she was understanding what Hope was saying so innocently.

"What do you mean, sweetie? Where does it hurt?" Her mouth moved of its own accord, as if on automatic. Hope grabbed her mother's hand, lifting it to her chest to rest above her heart which beat ever so strongly and tears sprang to Hayley's eyes as she felt the precious beats which kept her baby girl alive. She treasured every single one of them.

"Here Mama. Hurts here." Fear filled Hayley's own heart as she wondered what it meant for her child but Hope shook her head and smiled a little. "It's ok. I don't mind. It's how I know Daddy's alive even though we can't be with him."

" _What_?" Hayley gasped in disbelief, bringing her hands up to cup Hope's delicate little face. "I don't understand, baby girl. How do you know that Daddy's alive based on your heart hurting? I don't understand at all... how could it possibly...?" she trailed off, looking at her six year old in complete confusion.

"Here," Hope returned one of her mother's hands to rest once again over her heart and lifted her own to her mother's chest. "Here I can feel all of our family. 'Specially you and Daddy. That's how I know when you're lying about when Chris and Miss Katie send you somewhere and you say it didn't hurt. I can feel it too."

Hayley lifted her other hand in horror to her face as she asked, "and Daddy?"

"Always hurting, but sometimes I can make it a little better for him. I don't feel all the hurt, only a little, Mama. I think he shields it from me. He has very strong mental walls." She said, matter of factly as Hayley gaped at her, still trying to process her daughter's words. "Sometimes I can see him too and talk to him as well but I used to a lot more before because he didn't hurt as badly. Now it happens a lot and when he's hurting really really bad he makes me go. He thinks that way I'll hurt less."

"Is- is he always hurting really bad?" The words caught in Hayley's throat, practically stumbling from her lips as she asked Hope who nodded solemnly. "And when- when do you see him?"

"Any time he lets me in Mama. Mostly when I'm sleeping but sometimes when you're busy and Miss Katie and Trixie are too busy to play with me, then too. He misses everyone so he's really sad but sometimes I think he can go into the house Auntie Freya made for them to live in. Then he's happy even if he's still hurting." Hope thought for a second before looking at her mother. "He's happy I'm with you. He thinks I'm safer with you."

The young hybrid just looked at her daughter, unable to form words. Her phone suddenly rang and the moment was broken as she scrambled to pick it up. "Hello?" Her voice came out stronger than she had thought it would, considering everything she had just learnt about her daughter.

"Hayley? Its time to move."

"Trixie?" Trixie was a werewolf she had met a little over a year ago. She was barely sixteen at the time, an orphan and having just triggered the curse. Naturally, Hayley took her under her wing and helped her. Now Trixie was helping Hayley and working with the Strix who had decided that having wolf allies would only help their cause.

"Marcel found you. You have to move on to the next safe house." Trixie told her quickly. Time was always of the essence in moments like these. Hayley immediately got up from where she was sitting in front of Hope, turning around to rush to her room to pull out her small suitcase and pack her meager belongings, motioning to Hope to pack her toys in her backpack.

"Shit. How long do we have and how much of what we're doing has he figured out?" She asked, putting the phone on speaker so that she could have both hands free as she efficiently and quickly packed before going to Hope.

"I'd say about forty eight hours before he catches up to the general idea of where you are and we think he might know that you're looking for the cures."

"Fantastic. Goodbye Louisiana. Where exactly do I have to go next Trixie?" Louisiana had been the closest they had been to New Orleans in years and that was saying something, considering the distance.

"Just get on the road and keep driving. I think Chris wants you to go to Chicago. Something about the big cities being easier to hide in. I'll send you the exact coordinates once you're on the road." Hayley finished zipping up Hope's suitcase and threw some snacks and her remaining toys and few sketchbooks inside the backpack which Hope shrugged on. The youngest Mikaelson was an artist, just like her father and Hayley couldn't be prouder.

"Thanks Trixie. I'm assuming I'll see you there?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Now get out of there already. Katie's tracking down a new lead for us so don't be late." Hayley could practically hear Trixie's grin from the other side of the line and despite the situation, her own lips curved up in a smile as she hung up.

"Time to go Mama?" Hope's determined little voice drifted to her and her heart swelled with pride at her baby girl's strength and determination.

"Time to go Baby."

* * *

Vincent had worked out an uneasy peace with Marcel over the past few years. He refused to take any bullshit from the vampire and was never afraid to remind him of the fact that Marcel wasn't the only powerful being in New Orleans. As long as Marcel didn't overstep his limits or disturb the witch community, they wouldn't have a problem. If he did, well, Vincent couldn't be held responsible for his actions.

Damon had been quite helpful, in his own way, causing his own brand of chaos wherever he went. For some reason, he had taken to disliking Marcel and so did everything in his power to irritate him and make his life that much harder. On the other hand, he seemed to side with Vincent, helping out where he could with the recently converted sanctuary, simply stating that he preferred the idea of a sanctuary than a fight club and anything that pissed off Marcel was a good thing.

He seemed to like Will, evidently he reminded Damon of a sheriff he had known. So now Will had an unlimited supply of vervain in case any vampire tried to either eat or compel him and a leather band with some of the herb in it to wear on his wrist at all times. Damon's excuse being that a little extra precaution never hurt anybody except the vampire who gets shot in the face after a failed compulsion. He had also, very helpfully, provided a few wooden bullets and how to make them. How a vampire such as he had befriended a hunter, Vincent could only guess at.

Damon had moved on after a while but still occasionally dropped by and continued to send Will sprigs of vervain and help Vincent keep his sanctuary running. Vincent just accepted the help and moved on, not caring that one of his sanctuary's patrons was a vampire as long as Damon kept to his promise of not eating the witch community of New Orleans. Like he had told Marcel so long ago as they stood over Klaus Mikaelson's unmoving body. He didn't care who came in as long as they were sick and tired of the Mikaelsons.

The doors of his church were suddenly thrown open, Marcel walking inside as if he owned the place, face contorted in anger. Speak of the devil.

"I'd ask if I could help you or do something for you, but I have no interest in either." He drawled lazily, barely looking at the vampire.

"Cut the crap. Did you know about Hayley looking for some bullshit cures for the Mikaelsons who are, apparently, _not_ as dead as they should be?"

"Honestly? I'm surprised it took you this long to figure out what she's been doing. Why? Plan on killing her too? Or maybe on hurting her kid?"

"Even if I'd hurt her, I wouldn't _touch_ the kid. You of all people should know that." Marcel all but snarled at the warlock. "Did you know about what she's doing?"

"Hope is a Mikaelson, Marcel. I saw what happened the lat time you attempted to eradicate them. _Yes_ , I knew about Hayley and what she was doing. _No_ , I wasn't about to tell you. I happen to somewhat like Hayley and they've both lost enough and I've had it with your pathetic little quest for revenge. I'm not about to help you any time soon, so I suggest you remove yourself before I remove you." So maybe he was losing patience with this childish temper tantrum that had been going on for so long, he was just done with Marcel in every possible way.

Unfortunately for the vampire, he decided _not_ to listen to Vincent's very sound, very good advice and did not immediately remove himself from the premises. So he gave Marcel a few aneurysms before sending him flying through the doors of the church. The pained look on Marcel's face would forever be one of his favourite memories. He really had to thank Damon for the idea. Simply sending a vampire flying through doors was nothing compared to the self satisfaction gained from making them remember that they weren't invulnerable.

A few minutes later Will came inside, holding some coffee. "Was that Marcel who just flew halfway across the street?" Vincent plucked his coffee from Will's outstretched hand, a smirk on his face.

"What? He deserved it."

* * *

Sitting in the car for hours, having lost what little track of time she could keep, Hope found it to be a struggle to stay awake and slowly drifted off to sleep to the soft strains of music from the radio. She opened her eyes, what felt like seconds later to a simple room, barren except for the fact that her father was standing there. Realising that he had let her in as she subconsciously reached out to him, a brilliant smile formed on her face as she squealed, "Daddy!" Running towards him to be swept up in his arms, she felt at peace.

Klaus himself, was elated to see her and didn't hesitate in lifting her up and swinging her into the air, taking in all the changes in her since he had seen her last. "Hello, my Littlest Wolf." She wrapped her tiny hands around his neck, holding him as close as she could, causing him to laugh slightly.

"Too long, Daddy. You make me wait too long since I last saw you. That's not nice." She was very solemn in her declaration, her determined little face displaying as much anger as the six year old could muster.

"I am sorry about that, princess. Do you think you could forgive me?" Klaus may have been able to put the appropriate amount of regret in his voice but he couldn't quite keep the mirth from his eyes as Hope thought for a minute, pondering over whether or not to forgive him before eventually nodding her forgiveness. Then began their usual... interrogation, let's call it.

"So," Klaus began, perfectly serious. "Have you been a good girl for your mother?" Hope nodded and smiled when she saw Klaus's proud look. "Kept up the Mikaelson name of lovable devilishness and roguery?" She giggled and he laughed. "I'm still taking that as a yes, Hope!"

"Even if Mama won't like it?" Hope cocked her head to the side, looking up at her father inquisitively. The hybrid in question winked at her.

"Especially if she doesn't like it."

Hope grinned for a second before it faltered and she looked up at her father with worried eyes. "Daddy, when Mommy gets you out, will you stop the bad man from chasing us?"

If Klaus's heart were still beating, it would have clean stopped at his daughter's words, all the pleasure at being with her draining out of him in a second as he thought of the vampire he had once called his son. "Marcellus is still chasing after you?" He asked, his voice soft as he looked at Hope, fearful for his daughter. The little girl nodded once, aware of the fact that there was some danger, but having full faith in her parents to take care of it. Which Klaus promised he would.

After that, it was as if all shadows had been lifted from her mind and she lightened up, speaking of anything and everything that came to mind. She was the innocent child she should have been, untouched, for the moment, by the darkness that shrouded her life. Klaus could only wish that she would remain so innocent and untouched by the blood that drenched the lives of the Mikaelson family.

* * *

Freya sat down, her back to the great oak in the gardens surrounding the house, book in hand, strands of her hair fluttering in the soft breeze. She had long ago lost count of the time spent in the Chambre De Chasse. Days slipped by them like water through fingers, yet she couldn't quite bring herself to mind with the peace that enveloped the place. What had worried her at first and continued to do so, was her inability to bring Niklaus here with them. She had had nothing but time to find a way but nothing she had tried worked. So her younger brother kept visiting at irregular intervals, as and when his mind allowed him to do so, the Mikaelson siblings accepting it eventually.

She put her book aside after a while, unable to bring herself to concentrate on it for too long, deciding to simply enjoy the breeze for a bit before she went inside.

"It actually makes me feel awful, seeing you just sitting here. We never did give you much time to just enjoy yourself, did we?" Klaus's voice drifted to her and she startled, opening her eyes to find him sitting beside her. Once she understood what he had said, she simply shrugged.

"I was happy to have finally found my family. I was hardly going to complain." Klaus just looked at her, a grin playing about his lips and she laughed. "Alright, so maybe I needed some time off."

"Maybe? Freya, please tell me you recognise just how much of an understatement that is?"

"Well, I mean, if you're handing me potential future blackmail, I won't say no in taking it. You should know, I am not above using it."

"I swear I won't hold it against you." Klaus said, raising his hand in mock seriousness. "Besides, that would be ridiculously hypocritical of me." They both laughed at that truth. "So how's paradise?" Klaus asked when their laughter died down.

"In a word? Peaceful. Way more... pure, I guess, than whatever's waiting for us outside." She tilted her head slightly, contemplating. "But a little empty. As if something important is missing. Anyway, how's eternal torment?"

"Oh, you know, a little slice of my own personal hell. What's a little agony and pain to thousand year old hybrid? All in a day's work." This time, the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "But no matter about that. Hope dropped by again."

"How is she?"

"Physically? Alright as far as I can tell. What concerns me is the fact that she and Hayley appear to be on the run."

"Marcel?" Klaus nodded, clenching his jaw and Freya could tell how much it pained him not to be able to protect his daughter. "Hayley can probably take care of it." She assured him.

"I know she can. If there's anything I trust her with, it's Hope." Freya nodded, satisfied. She stood, dragging Klaus up with her.

"We've made some changes to the house since you last came. Beks is dying to show you her addition and Kol thinks you'd be impressed by his wine collection, come on." Laughing, they both made their way through the grounds to the house where their siblings waited. It wasn't paradise up here, but sometimes, Freya thought, it came pretty close.


	8. A pretty girl called Karma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo Imma be real here for a sec, my ship is Klayley. Has been for a very long time, especially after Cami's death, because Cami was amazing and the only one else for Klaus in my mind after that was Hayley. That said, in this fic I chose to mostly stick with canon pairings which is why, although I personally prefer writing Klayley, have stuck with Haylijah. Also Haylijah was pretty cute in its own way and Klaus supported it like an absolute bamf so no flames to be accepted, ok thanks, enjoy byeee!

Getting a package in the mail from Damon Salvatore was a rather usual occurrence for Vincent Griffith but the contents were usually vervain or some new kind of way to subdue vampires. Vincent supposed that, leaving out the irony, getting this information from a vampire made it about as accurate as it could be, considering said vampire was one he actually sort of trusted. What he had sent this time, however, didn't quite come into the regular category of Damon's usual kind of help.

"Salvatore, what the hell am I looking at?" He asked, deciding to forgo the niceties as the vampire picked up the phone. Unfortunately, he forgot the maturity level of the man he was speaking to.

"Hello Damon, so nice to speak to you after so long. How are you?" Vincent sighed as Damon then proceeded to answer his own question in his normal voice, if slightly more sarcastic than usual. "Hey to you too. I'm fine, thanks. About what you're looking at, I'm not psychic, I have no idea what you could be looking at."

Vincent prayed to whichever god that would possibly be listening to give him patience to deal with Damon Salvatore. "You sent me a box Damon. Care to explain its contents? _Before_ I track you down and give you a million aneurysms and laugh at the irony?"

"Oh, _that_ box." The vampire drawled lazily, causing Vincent to growl involuntarily.

"Do I look like I have time for this? Yes, _that_ box."

"Relax." Damon said, laughing. " _That_ is something a friend of mine cooked up. She spent some time being an anchor for the other side, long story, skipping it. Anyway, she managed to find a way to connect to the other side and her boyfriend tweaked the spell a little and added something so that you can suck out energy from those on said other side."

"Damon, for a spell like that, you need an anchor, someone that is in between. I'm not about to condemn someone for this."

"God, you're as bad as Judgy. That's why for this, you just need some powerful object or something. Not some _one_. See? It's a win-win for everyone except the assholes you call ancestors and whoever you use the power against, it's perfect!"

"Well it's something, all right. Thank you for this. It should definitely spice things up." Vincent sighed as he hung up. Damon had a... different way of helping, that was for sure.

* * *

Hayley was freaking out. Maybe she was overreacting, but she couldn't help herself. It didn't matter how common of a situation she was in, her life meant she couldn't afford to make these kind of mistakes. Knowing that panicking would only worsen the situation, she tried to calm herself down, taking a few deep breaths before allowing the panic to resurface. She could not _believe_ she had lost Hope in a supermarket of all places!

Calling out her daughter's name while running through the isles, she had never been more grateful for the extra speed that came with being a hybrid, going as fast as she dared while in such a public place. Going by how freaked out she was, she figured at this rate, when she found Hope, she would lock up her daughter in a tower till she was thirty. Rounding a corner into the candy and snacks aisle, she stopped dead in her tracks, voice catching in her throat.

A blond man was kneeling next to a sniffling Hope, trying to calm her down. Finding her voice, she strode towards her daughter with long powerful steps, calling out her name. "Hope? Hope, thank God, you're ok." She lifted her daughter into her arms, the six year old's tears drying up instantly, a huge smile on her tear stained face. "Young lady, you are grounded until you are old enough to know what that means and to rebel against that ruling." She could tell Hope didn't really care about her punishment, if indeed she even _realised_ she was being punished.

Shaking her head at the innocence of her child, she turned her attention to the man, well, little more than teenager really, he couldn't be more than twenty, who had by now stood and was standing awkwardly to the side. "Um, thanks for looking out for my kid." She said, inwardly cringing at her awkwardness, she was a badass hybrid, dammit!

"No problem. I never did like seeing a kid in trouble without trying to help." He held out his hand as an afterthought. "I'm John, by the way. John Young."

"I'm Hayley. Nice to meet you too." She smiled at him and thanked him again before making her excuses and trying to leave. Hope, however, had a few other ideas.

"Mama wait, he can help Aunt Rebekah!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Came two voices in reply to her statement, both filled with disbelief and varying levels of fear of exposure.

"Hope, sweetie, I told you not to talk about that while we're outside!" Hayley told her, but the child refused to be swayed, squirming so that Hayley would put her down and running towards John.

"He's like me!" She declared, smiling. Something occurred to her and her smile fell for a moment before brightening again. "He's not fully like me. But he's better! He can help Auntie Beks!"

Understanding dawned upon John and he swore under his breath before looking up at Hayley. "Please tell me I didn't just help a freaking Mikaelson. Please, _please_ tell me that this is either an insane, awful dream or a huge misunderstanding."

Hayley wanted to. She wanted to so damn bad that it actually hurt but first she needed to find out what the hell her daughter meant. Kneeling down beside her, looking Hope straight in the eye, she slowly asked her to explain herself.

"I told you Mommy. He can help Auntie Beks! Miss Katie keeps telling you to look for the witches to help. He can help." She crossed her arms, glaring at her mother, irritated at her lack of understanding. In the meantime, John was pacing back and forth, appearing to have a mini breakdown.

"Oh God, my brother is going to _literally_ kill me. Of all the people to help the kid... it had to be me! I cannot get mixed up in Klaus Mikaelson business! That's a bloody death sentence!" Hayley rolled her eyes, standing up to face him.

"What are you?" She asked him bluntly.

"Warlock. By any chance can we both just pretend that this never really happened? Just go our separate ways and I'm not dragged into your horrible life?" Hayley felt bad for him, she really did. Unfortunately for him...

"What kind of warlock?"

"Yeah, Zed's gonna definitely kill me for this. I can siphon magic."

Hayley couldn't believe her ears. Of all the places she looked, all the trouble she had went to and she ended up finding the one she was looking for in a freaking supermarket of all places.

* * *

It took some time but eventually Hayley managed to convince John to consider helping her. Making their way into the Strix base where the Mikaelsons were kept, they were greeted by an excited Trixie.

"So Katie says she's nearly done working out the logistics of the cure for the bites too so hopefully we'll have the antidote soon, maybe even within the week! I can't believe you finally found a siphoner! This is awesome!" Hayley agreed with that last sentiment completely. After so long, it was hard to believe they had finally run into one. And under such mundane conditions no less! Trixie turned to face John with a huge grin, ready to introduce herself. Her grin fell a little as she looked at him, only to be replaced by confusion, blurting out the first thing that came to her head. "Young? Since when could you do magic?"

"Son of a - Trix? Nice to know you're _alive_! It's called a freaking cellphone you moron, trying using it once in a while! And I could always do magic. You were just too dense to notice." He enveloped the teenager in a bear hug while Trixie looked rather sheepish the entire time. John then turned to Hayley gratitude shining in his eyes. "You helped her?" Hayley nodded, slightly confused at what was happening. John took a deep breath before speaking. "I am one hundred percent sure that I will probably regret this one day, but I'll help you."

"Great! This way." Trixie led them to the room which held the Mikaelson siblings in their coffins. "I'm gonna leave now."

"Trix, I suggest you find yourself a seat and sit your ass down before I tie you to a chair myself. You're not going anywhere. Oh yeah, that's a bad one." John commented upon seeing the mark on Rebekah's arm. The dark red of the mark was a stark contrast to her otherwise pale skin.

"I'd say it looks worse than it is but that would be lying." Hayley replied dryly. "Can you fix it?"

"Yeah. I can fix it." Hayley watched as John covered the mark with his hand, gripping Rebekah's arm tight, her worry turning to amazement as the mark faded. John straightened, rubbing his arm a little. The entire process had taken maybe five minutes at most. "And done! There you go. One cured original. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a werewolf to yell at and excess energy to blow. Trix, with me."

'Good luck.' Hayley mouthed at Trixie as the teenager walked past her. She figured the kid would need all the luck she could get.

* * *

The Chambre De Chasse was being torn apart, Freya could feel it. Looking around at her siblings, she could tell they felt the disturbance too. Not as keenly as she could, but it was impossible to miss. The disturbance could mean one of two things. One, Hayley had found all the cures, or two, Klaus was being woken up or worse, killed. Klaus! The hybrid was currently in the Chambre De Chasse with them!

Her brother was on the ground, clutching his head, pain written clearly all over his face. Rebekah was kneeling beside him, looking up at Freya in desperation. "What's happening?"

The eldest Mikaelson shook her head, helpless and unsure, as she went to her brother. "I don't know." But as she put her hand on his shoulder, he disappeared, his conscious returning to his own body. Rebekah looked at Freya, fear staining her eyes. Kol and Elijah burst into the room then, making their way to their sisters' sides.

"What the bloody hell is happening?" Kol asked as Elijah confirmed that the two sisters were alright.

"Where is Niklaus?" Freya shook her head at Elijah's question. Elijah's face hardened and the boys helped Rebekah and Freya stand. "So what now?" Elijah put into words the thought that was running through everyone's mind.

"Now we wake up." Freya responded simply as a white light enveloped them.

* * *

Elijah's eyes fluttered open, taking in an unfamiliar room. His throat was excruciatingly dry but almost immediately a blood bag was shoved in front of him, the coppery smell of it nearly driving him insane with want. Draining it dry in a matter of minutes, he could finally focus enough to realise it was Hayley sitting next to him, another bag ready in her hands, should he need it. Around the room, his siblings were waking up also, Rebekah and Kol being provided with blood bags of their own and Freya with water bottles.

Each of the three original vampires consumed at least three to four blood bags before they were up to their usual strength at which point Elijah wrapped his arms around Hayley, pulling her into a hug and pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, uncaring of their audience. Hayley, for her part, practically melted into his arms, some missing piece of her heart finally being filled in. Rebekah and Freya were the next to pull her into an embrace after Elijah finally let her go.

"I'm like, six hundred percent sure that Nik's left us in boxes longer, but how long exactly were we out for?" Kol was the first to ask once the greetings were over.

"Nearly five years, give or take." Hayley answered, still in disbelief that the cures had all actually worked. "Hope is nearly seven now."

"Where is Hope?" Rebekah asked, still reeling from the revelation of how long they had been under while Hayley searched for cures and Klaus remained in endless torment. "And where are we?"

"Strix base in New York. By the way Elijah, you really need to keep track of your little projects because this one? Not so little. Based on what Chris has told me, they have bases in every country in the world. And Katie's bringing Hope in a few minutes because we figured you guys would need some time to adjust first." Hayley explained even if her explanation left some more confused than before. She didn't have much time to elaborate though as Hope came running in right at that moment.

"Mommy! Did it work?" The excitable child caught sight of her aunts and uncles and a huge grin spread over her face. She was a whirlwind of energy, rushing from one member of the original family to the other. She flung herself into Freya's arms first, grinning wildly. "I knew you'd be fine! I felt it! Now we can go find Daddy and then everyone will be happy!" Without letting Freya as much as process all that she had said, she immediately moved on to Rebekah. "Auntie Beks! Mommy and I found someone to help your curse so you won't go all crazy! But Mommy didn't know he could help until I told her! Isn't it funny how witches can know when there's another witch but other people can't tell? Uncle Kol, you used to be a witch right? Mommy said so." She jumped from one topic to another so fast it made their heads spin even as smiles spread across their faces at her energy as she continued talking to Kol. "Daddy told me you can't be a witch anymore but sometimes you can find ways to do magic. I'm not a proper witch yet but when I am, we can do magic together right? Daddy doesn't always like you doing magic I think but that's ok because I know he won't mind if we do it together with Aunt Freya too. It'll be fun and you can teach me new spells!"

"I'm sure it will." Kol interjected as she paused to breathe, amused at her constant jabber. She nodded, the smile never falling from her face before turning to Elijah and speaking very solemnly.

"I kept Mommy safe while you and Daddy couldn't. She's silly sometimes and gets hurt or makes someone angry so they come after us. Katie and Trixie have been teaching me so I kept Mommy safe as best as I could. Chris says I once even threw him into a wall because he was coming after us. But you're here now which is good. Now Mommy will be happy which is also good so you can't go away again or get hurt either. You have to promise."

Elijah knelt on the ground next to Hope, looking his niece straight in the eye. "I can't promise not to get hurt, but I do promise never to leave again no matter what." Hope nodded, satisfied. She then turned to the others, her pleasant mood returning and her overprotective Mikaelson genes becoming dormant once again until required.

"Can I show them all my favourite places in here Mommy?" Hayley nodded and Hope grabbed hold of Rebekah and Kol's hands, dragging Freya along with magic once she realised that she didn't have any other free hands. She proceeded to show them around the base and introduce them to the people she liked and to give a long and detailed explanation of why she liked them, leaving Elijah and Hayley alone.

The hybrid couldn't bear to tear herself away from his embrace, finally allowing herself a moment to relax, to breathe all her tensions and fears away. She wasn't alone anymore. They could do this.

* * *

Klaus opened his eyes to darkness, a stark contrast to the cream coloured walls of the house Freya had created. There was a familiar ache in his bones, the dagger unrelenting in its assault upon his very being. But there was an unfamiliar pain in his head as if something had been brutally snapped off. He assumed that it had something to do with his siblings and the inelegant way he had been ejected from the Chambre De Chasse. It felt as if some essential part of him had been ripped away, a part that he had, without realising it, come to rely upon. He didn't think he would be seeing his siblings in their little purgatory again and he sincerely hoped that it was because Hayley had managed to cure them and nothing else. But for the first time in a while, he felt completely and utterly alone with the knowledge that he would not be able to see his siblings for a long, long time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I based Hope and her speech patterns off my little sister and various younger cousins. Um I hope I've done alright but if you have any concerns or points you want to raise, please feel free to do so :)


	9. All that we're fighting for

When you're about as impatient as a seven year old, that's when you know you may have a few problems that need to be dealt with. Hope figured this out just by observing her aunts and uncles over the next few months after they were revived by her mother. She loved them, of course, but it was an undeniable fact that sometimes, they were no better than five year olds. And according to her mom, her dad was way worse when someone made him angry. She secretly really wished that she could have seen how they used to deal with him when he let loose his "Shakespearean rage" as her uncle Elijah so eloquently put it. The entire scenario seemed unreal. But then again, she had only seen a part of her father, the kind, loving man who promised her the world and sacrificed everything to save his family. She hadn't ever known the man he used to be. She wasn't sure she wanted to if the stories were anything to go by.

It had been a few months since Hayley had managed to cure the Mikaelson siblings from their respective poisons/curses and by this point they were all incredibly impatient to find a way to free Klaus. Hope, a little spitfire in her own right, took absolutely no nonsense from anyone and was fiercely protective of her family even if sometimes she wanted to lock them all in a room together till they got some sense, or better yet, knock it into them herself. It wasn't for lack of trying on her part though. She had, on occasion, actually locked up Hayley and Elijah in a room together because she had felt that they were overworking themselves. She hadn't let them out for a day and a half the first time and Kol was still holding it over their heads.

Elijah had firmly integrated himself into the Strix, taking responsibility for what he had helped create and devoting time to understand how it had functioned all these years and its motives which were far different from those of the faction of the Strix that had been under the leadership of Tristan De Martel. Freya and Kol were working on the magic front with Katie, Kol being provided with everything he needed that could help him do magic and his vast knowledge of spells that surpassed even Freya's on occasion were very helpful. Rebekah was finally comfortable in her own body, even refusing Freya's offer to transfer her soul once again to the body of another witch.

Hayley had felt a little... lost in the beginning. She had forgotten what it was like to have others to help, others who knew her, how she worked and what she needed. It had taken quite a bit of time to get that kind of a working relationship going with Chris, Katie and Trixie. She hadn't known them, hadn't allowed herself in the beginning to open up to anyone and to suddenly be able to fall into sync with people who knew her so well took a little getting used to. She had also forgotten what it was like to work with Mikaelsons. They had their own special brand of crazy and Hayley hadn't realised how much she had needed and missed it these past few years.

Right now they were focusing on trying to save Klaus and remove the 'Dagger of pain' from where it was embedded inside him. The few fears they had of Marcel disposing the body out of sheer spite were put to rest by Hope.

"Daddy's in a really small room somewhere. It kind of looks like the bad man put him in a wall because of all the bricks. It's really tiny. I don't think even I could take more than two steps in there!"

"Darling, are you absolutely positive about that? Because you have to be one hundred percent sure." Rebekah told her. The young girl nodded, a huge grin on her face as she realised she was actually helping and not just getting in the way like she had feared she might end up doing.

"We have somewhere to start then." Elijah began. "It can be assumed that Marcel has most likely kept Niklaus in New Orleans, close enough to him that we can't get near without alerting him. The obvious places to look would be in either the graveyard or his 'garden' where he used to leave vampires to desiccate."

"We need allies. More than just the Strix, that is." Hayley said, glancing at Elijah and Chris.

"The wolves, then." Kol pointed out immediately, his sharp mind already reaching for the most viable solution. "Marcel's already hunted them down to extinction once and he tried again during these past five years. The witches too. For someone who claims to command loyalty from his people, Nik's little protégé certainly made a lot of enemies. I'd say the witches too but I'm not entirely sure that conversation would go down as well." He pointed out. "As for getting in undetected," he began, a smirk playing about his lips. "Whoever said that was necessary? I say we walk in through the front door. I sure as Hell am not going to be hiding. New Orleans is _our_ city, _was_ our city long before it had ever been Marcel's. If I recall correctly, Elijah, you and Nik united all the factions in there without insulting, harming or demeaning any of them before Father ran you out. All little Marcellus succeeded in doing was making sure his bloody vampires thrived and his system was about as flawed as they come with any and all other factions left to fend for themselves as they were hunted down by his irritating lot of sycophants. Every other group besides his vampires were oppressed, the people living in fear and/or confinement if not already killed or hunted down like animals if they managed to somehow survive.

"Well, Vincent isn't exactly all too happy with Marcel either so really, it just matters who he hates more." Hayley pointed out.

"Or we could play it safe and win him over." Freya interjected. "Give me a week. I think I might have a way to convince him. It's a long shot but it's a way of fixing past mistakes." She added, glancing at Kol, something the vampire missed as he was looking down at the map.

"Either way, we need allies. We have a cure to Marcel's bite-"

"One that Katie is already working on synthesizing and we'll have more by the end of the week." Chris cut in before nodding to Hayley to continue.

"I'm not running anymore. The front door it is. And Freya, Kol, we may have a cure but it would give us an edge if you could find a way to subdue Marcel. Either way, my child is _not_ growing up without her father, so I suggest that shit gets done. Rebekah, if you don't mind grabbing Trixie and coming with, we have a few wolf packs to recruit and the job is always much easier when there aren't any idiots throwing their over inflated male egos around."

* * *

Klaus had no idea how long it had been since the Chambre De Chasse had been ripped apart but already it felt like years had passed as he sat in the the darkened pit Marcel had left him in. He hadn't quite realised just how much of his mind and life force had been tied to his siblings to keep them alive. Once they had, presumably, been freed from their respective curses and poisons (because he refused to believe in any other possibility or he would _literally_ go insane) Klaus had a few moments of blessed relief from the pain as his body adjusted to being released from Freya's spell before he was consumed by agony so fierce it felt as if his very bones were on fire.

Withdrawing slightly once more into the depths of his mind, he worked furiously to block the bond between him and Hope, doing his best to ensure that she would remain untouched by the agony that was flowing through his body. He had long ago understood the connection she had forged with her family and he would rather endure a millennia of this torment than allow her to feel even an instant of what he went through. He knew she would be upset at his refusal to allow her through the bond but at this point, he really didn't care. She wasn't getting through until he was more stabilized and he knew for sure that he wouldn't be affected by his pain. Besides, she had a general understanding of why he was doing it. He had ensured that much, at least, to prevent her from making some regrettable and avoidable mistakes.

Without the distraction his family provided, however, the darkness and agony was almost too much to bear at first and the hallucinations which he had managed to keep at bay for years finally returned at full force. This time though, without anything to focus his tattered mind upon, a mixed jumble of memories flashed past his eyes as he relived centuries in mere minutes, or was it hours? Time lost any and all meaning and all he could focus on was the bursting colours of the past.

* * *

"Auntie Freya?" Hope's small yet determined voice drifted over to Freya and she looked up from the spell she was reading over.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Can you teach me spells for healing?" Freya was a little taken aback by this unusual request. Surrounded by vampires, werewolves and hybrids, all of whom had an accelerated healing factor which the seven year old herself also possessed, there really wasn't much of a need for Hope to know actual healing spells beyond the basics which she and Kol had already taught her. Besides, with the right manipulation of the spell, it could be reversed to cause a lot of damage and Hope was already determined enough to protect her family in any way she could and by whatever means necessary.

"Any particular reason why? And what kind of healing exactly?" So maybe Freya was a little suspicious, she was dealing with Klaus Mikaelson's child. Hope could be a devious little thing and was a little trickster in her own right already. Precautions were necessary when dealing with the resident Silvertongue, a quality she had inherited from her father.

"Daddy isn't exactly going to be ok when Mommy finds him. He _isn't_ ok right now either. And I don't think his Hybrid healing will help him. That means I have to because I can kind of tell whats wrong. Everyone thinks we'll find him and everything will be alright, but it _won't_. Mommy isn't listening to me because she doesn't _know_ , she doesn't understand how _much_ he's hurting and I'm the only one who can kind of reach him even right now. So I have to be the one to help him. I have to!" The young child was so determined and so sure of her words. Tears sprang to Freya's eyes as she understood what exactly Hope meant and she couldn't believe that no one had even considered it before, that Niklaus would in no way be the same man they had left behind in New Orleans. She, more than the others, had been able to see how he was affected but her brother was ridiculously skilled in hiding anything that could be deemed as weakness and despite her love for her father, she couldn't help but hate him in that moment for forcing that need in her younger brother to build walls and hide behind masks.

Hope began to speak again, her expression dark and angry. "Also then I can make the bad man hurt the same way he made Daddy hurt." Freya's heart clean stopped at those words and she stared at her niece in complete and utter shock.

"Hope... Marcel was... _is_ technically your adopted brother seeing as how Niklaus did adopt him. Its great that you want to take care of your family-"

"I know who he was to our family. I saw some of Daddy's memories of him. But family doesn't do that to family. And he didn't just hurt Daddy, he hurt everyone. No one gets to do that to us. And if you won't help me, I'll go to Uncle Kol and if he doesn't help, then I'll do it on my own." Looking at the fire in Hope's eyes, Freya realised that maybe this little seven year old knew her brother better than she did and no matter what she did, Hope was a Mikaelson. You take on one, you take on all. Their family had an inherent need to protect their no own in spite of past grievances. That need had passed on to Hope and it was stronger than ever if the expression on her face was anything to go by.

"I'll teach you." She told her niece. The fire went out of the seven year old in the blink of an eye, clearly she wasn't expecting Freya to actually agree. "But we do this my way. When I say enough, that means enough. You can't stretch your limits too far or you'll burn yourself out. Do you understand?" Hope nodded and Freya sighed. She was already beginning to regret this decision.

* * *

There was truly nothing more annoying than a ringing phone. Alright, maybe a few things were slightly more irritating, but only very slightly. ' _I can think of a few people who would fit the bill nicely._ ' Vincent's mind supplied helpfully. He ignored the thought and continued looking for his phone only to find it in his jacket pocket. Rolling his eyes at the general ridiculousness of phones, he checked the caller ID to find it was an unknown number. He figured it would probably be Damon, the vampire broke more phones in a year doing whatever it was that he did than most people broke in their entire lives. At least the vampire was generally thoughtful enough to provide his new number even if he usually called at the most inopportune times or late hours. Shrugging, he answered only to hear a voice he hadn't heard in five years and had thought he wouldn't ever hear again. He should have known better. The Mikaelsons were about as immortal as you could get. They just kept on coming back despite all attempts to destroy them.

"Vincent?"

"Freya Mikaelson. You should be dead." He replied, coldly. Evidently Hayley had managed to cure the remaining members of the family. Vincent supposed he should be more surprised, but really? The Mikaelsons were possibly the most resourceful family he had ever encountered or heard of. It was something he could respect but it was something he often hated too.

"I should be, yes. But I'm not."

"And let me guess, now you need my help. Before you even ask, the answer is _no_. You lot bring death and destruction everywhere you go. You're not bringing it back to my city. Not after everything you've done." Vincent was adamant about that, if nothing else.

"Leaving aside the fact that it was my family that built your damn city and my obvious reason to come and save my brother from wherever it is that Marcel has left him in unbearable agony, I need to and can right one of my wrongs."

"You're going to have to be a little more specific, Freya. I lost count of the bodies a while ago." So he was a little skeptical and perhaps more harsh than necessary but he couldn't find it in him to care. Not until he heard what she said next.

"I need your help perfecting a spell to bring back Davina Claire."

"You're lying. We already tried and _failed_ because of you and Elijah!" Rage was filling Vincent at the thought of the young witch who had died. She had deserved more than that. More than being just another casualty of the war the Mikaelsons fought every damn day.

"My mother created vampires. My aunt has performed magical feats that were thought only to be possible in legend. I found a way to bring her back but I can't do it on my own. This is my olive branch. We need your alliance and yes, Davina deserved better than what we gave her. This is me trying to give her what she deserves. Call me when you decide." She hung up with a click and all Vincent could hear now was silence and his own rapid heartbeat. He set his phone down on the table calmly before clenching his fists. The light fixtures overhead burst in a multitude of sparks and glass as he released his anger and frustration. Fucking Mikaelsons.


	10. Magic and mischief

Kol looked up from his work as he heard a small knock on the door and saw Hope looking through, her eyes wide with childish innocence and curiosity. The manner with which she peeped inside reminded Kol of when Nik would come to visit his experimenting room in the Chambre De Chasse. His brother had been about as cautious and wary of stepping into his space and being unwanted as Hope was and he had made sure to knock it into Nik's head that he would never be an unwanted presence. It seemed he would have to do the same for his niece.

"Are you busy Uncle Kol? Like, really _really_ busy?"

He looked down at his experiment. It didn't appear to be anywhere near a state where it may explode and he didn't really have much else to do at the moment. "Not right now, Love. Besides, I'm never too busy for my favorite niece. What's the matter? Everyone else too busy for you?"

Hope nodded slightly, glad that he, at least, could make time for her. She had just figured out how to create small flames in the palm of her hand and was dying to show someone. Unfortunately for her, everyone who may have been interested in her accomplishment was busy and her father was still refusing to let her in through their bond except very rarely and even she could see the strain it put on him to try and keep the pain from leaking through their bond to her. This left her Uncle Kol whom she generally preferred not to disturb when working on account of his experiments often exploding because he wasn't paying attention to them as he was too busy playing with her.

However, as he seemed to be the only one to have time for her, she wasn't going to question her good luck and immediately hopped up onto the table, ready to show off her new abilities. "Look at what I can do! I figured it out all by myself, Uncle Kol!" She held out her palm flat in front of her, her face scrunched up in concentration. Within a minute a little flame was burning merrily in the middle of her palm and she grinned up at her uncle. Kol, for his part, was more than impressed and was duly proud of his niece. "That's not all!" Hope exclaimed, already pleased with his reaction. She concentrated a little more, pouring magic into the flame till it became a small ball of fire. She lifted her hand to her mouth, blowing slightly at the ball and Kol watched in amazement as it slid right off her hand and floated in the air. "Isn't it _awesome_?"

Kol was at a loss for words, mesmerized by the swirling ball of fire, impulsively lifting Hope into the air and swinging her around in a circle, the young child giggling uncontrollably all the while until he set her down on the table once again. "It's beautiful." He told her honestly. "Can I touch it, or will it burn me?" He asked, curious about her creation. Hope thought for a moment before nodding.

"It won't hurt you, I promise." With trembling fingers, Kol gently reached up to where the fireball was floating gently in the air, surprised to find it cool to the touch. As he plucked it out of the air, it grew heavy in his hand and it felt as if he was holding something like a glass marble in his hands instead of a burning flame. Hope cocked her head to the side, as surprised as he. "It never did that before. Can you throw it in the air? I want to see what happens." She asked. He did so and the ball remained suspended in the air, about a foot above their heads. "Huh. Cool! You can keep that one. Do you think it wants a friend? I've been trying with water too but that's way harder."

"Hope, love, that has quite a bit of your power in it. Do you _really_ want it lying around?" Kol asked her, trying to keep up with her rapid speech and thought process while attempting to wrap his head around her unfailing trust in him.

"It's not lying around, silly! It's with you. I don't know what it does yet, but I know it'll help you. That's the important thing. Can we try and make it a friend now? Maybe I can make one for Auntie Freya. You can help me right?" Her tone was one that brook no arguments whatsoever, clearly, she was her father's daughter. She left no room for negotiation, simply stating facts. At the moment nothing amused Kol more. His niece was a game changer and he couldn't be more proud.

Filling a glass with water in order to give Hope something to start off with, he began tutoring her in the very basics of magic. "Sometimes," he told her as he guided her hand movements, "you might have to run before you can walk. Other times, you have to know _some_ of what you're doing." Hope lifted half the water from the glass as Kol continued talking to her. "That way, you can manipulate anything to work in your favour." She morphed it into a cube which solidified and looked for all the world as if it was made of crystal, not simply water and Hope looked up at the grinning face of her uncle as she allowed the cube to float in the air by the fireball.

"Like that?" Her voice was soft, little more than a whisper and filled with awe.

"Exactly like that." Kol told his niece, his voice clearly betraying his own awe of her creation as he grinned down at her. Kol could already sense the mischief that he and Hope would be getting into.

* * *

Vincent flipped his phone over and over in his hand, contemplating what he was about to do. Marcel had gone too far this time and the witches of New Orleans were calling for blood. The consecrated bodies of his people surrounded him, five witches dead at the hands of Marcel's vampires. Vampires whom he claimed were in the right to attack and kill five innocent witches based on some perceived slight. Five witches too many. And now, now there were so many others who were hurt, who were scared, who were ready to fight back, already assembling at his sanctuary. Will was working overtime, trying to contain the damage and keep the general populace calm. Vincent looked at the bodies of his people, remembered the fear in their eyes and prayed to whatever god there was out there to give him salvation for what he was about to do.

The phone rang and rang and just as he was about to give up, thinking that she wouldn't pick up, he heard a click that was followed by the elder Mikaelson's voice. Hand clenched into a fist by his side, eyes screwed shut and voice shaking, Vincent spoke.

"Freya? I'm in. You have the alliance of the witches of New Orleans."

* * *

Hayley was getting rather frustrated by the lack of progress they were making on finding Klaus. They had come too far to fail now. Freya had asked Vincent to try and locate Klaus but so far the warlock wasn't having much luck. Marcel had been smart enough to shield Klaus from locator spells.

Hope, sensing her mother's frustration, decided that if no one else could find her father then the job fell to her. Approaching Kol with her idea as he was generally the most receptive of her use of magic, she was pleased to find that he backed her up, having full faith in her ability to locate her father through their bond. Sitting in what she often referred to as his lair, Kol watched over her as she sat down cross legged on his table. He had actually allotted a certain place for her to sit on the table seeing as it was her favorite spot. He sat patiently by her as she poked and prodded at her end of the bond, her eyes shut tight and her hands moving animatedly in the air as she attempted to describe the bond to him.

"It's like a string, or maybe it's a tunnel and one end is mine and the other his. And whenever I feel lost I feel all the threads and follow them out to whoever they take me. They're never wrong. If its a tunnel then right now he's blocked up his side. He thinks otherwise I'll hurt like he does. But Daddy's wrong. I'll only hurt a little bit and that's ok. But he doesn't want me to hurt at all and I think it's because the pain is more now. But he's blocked the tunnel and I can't get through. Uncle Kol, I need to get through!" She sounded more and more upset as she spoke, worry and urgency filling up her face. She grabbed hold of his hands, her eyes remaining shut, not opening for even a second. "Please, you _have_ to help me get through!" She pleaded, a sob rising in her throat. It was clear to Kol that she had sensed something through the bond but he had no idea what. Nonetheless, he had to calm Hope down and talk her through it. Wrapping his arms around her, he hummed softly, some old tune his mother used to sing to them until the trembling child in his arms stilled. Pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, he began to talk her through it.

"Alright Love, what does the block look like? Is it a wall?" Hope nodded and he smiled, knowing how to help her through it. "Then all you have to do is break it down."

"But it's too strong!" She protested and Kol shook his head, even if she couldn't see the movement.

"No wall is indestructible, that means they can all be broken eventually. You just have to find a weakness and hit it as hard as you can and don't stop hitting it. Can you do that for me?" The young witch took a deep breath and nodded.

"I can do it."

"That's my girl."

Hope finally located a weak spot in the wall Klaus had built and like her uncle had told her, she attacked it with everything she had. She broke through and was assaulted by a wave of memories and pain but she could tell that even now, her father was holding most of it back, still protecting her as he realised that she had broken through his defense. But even as she took a second to rejoice in her accomplishment, she was swept away by the tidal wave of images into one of her father's memories.

* * *

Hope opened her eyes to see a younger version of herself in her father's arms, his voice soft as he spoke to her. She watched as his expression hardened when her Uncle Elijah walked in the room. Not knowing how to pull herself out, she continued watching as her home was attacked by Marcel, as he hurt her uncles and her father with the intention of killing them. She watched as he dared accuse her father of not caring when even she could see the pain and shock and love in the hybrid's eyes when he looked at Marcel, even knowing what little she did about the man her father had raised as his own. Her anger only grew as her father lifted both his brothers from where they lay on the floor after Marcel had bitten them and sped them out of the compound, away from their home.

She found herself in what appeared to be an apartment, a silent observer as the day passed and her family suffered. Tears streaked down her face as she listened to the exchange between her father and Uncle Elijah, it was so obvious how much they loved each other and view much they were willing to give up for each other. She could hardly believe that such love could even exist.

The farce of a trial that Marcel had presented her father with left her shaking with suppressed rage, embers of fury inside her igniting to form a raging fire as she saw the dagger being pushed into her father's body. She stayed as her father's sireline plundered her family home some more before leaving, as Marcel took her father inside the house, down into the cellar. Sparks flew from her fingertips as he gently sat him down on a chair and put up a wall of bricks around her father, sealing him deep within his own home.

* * *

Kol listened as Hope continued to speak, describing their last day in New Orleans. Rage filled him as he learnt what it was exactly that Marcel had done to his brother, but he pushed it down in favour of grounding Hope and gently calling her back. He breathed a sigh of relief as she slowly blinked and came back to him, out of the confines of Nik's mind.

"I know where he is." She announced, getting off the table. "We have to tell Mommy now so that she can go and get him. And Mr. Vincent has to take the spell off Marcel so that I can destroy him." And with those parting words, she ran off to find her mother. It was time to go back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo so I know it might seem a little ridiculous that Hope is involving herself so much, but in my experience, children do actually involve themselves a lot and try to take on some responsibility. Also whenever she feels we're talking to loudly my little sister will happily scold us about it and tell us to be quiet. It's quite amusing yet occasionally terrifying to see these moments of maturity. Also in Hope's case, I'm making her a little more outspoken than she was in canon because being raised in the kind of environment she was, she's likely to be one of two things, shy and unobtrusive or bold and outspoken, aware of what's happening and willing to do something about it.


	11. Remember the name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, reminder, I wrote all of this before season 4 aired. Don't @ me cos 'it wasn't like this.' I know it wasn't. This was a fix it after season 3

Perhaps sitting at Marcel's favourite bar, drink in hand, her child sitting calmly next to her, drawing something in her sketchbook while surrounded by the bodies of dead vampires wasn't the best way to announce her return to the city, but it was the most dramatic entrance Hayley had come up with. At least, Hayley supposed, they were Marcel's vampires and thus, of no consequence to Vincent as long as she cleaned up after herself. Well, seeing as she had already ripped out and disposed of their hearts, it was rather unlikely for any of them to have survived the combined assault of the Mikaelson family and a few werewolves and it meant that they were in no position to cause any more unnecessary havoc. Hayley calmly sipped at her bourbon, taking in Marcel's shocked reaction with a smirk.

Alright, maybe they had gone a little overboard, but on the bright side, it was still possible to get most of the blood out of the hardwood. She knew some _excellent_ cleaners who got the job done, no questions asked. Hayley stood up slowly, taking her time as the damage she had done finally sunk in Marcel's confused and stunned mind. Well, the scene around her would have been a shock for anyone, to be honest, but she couldn't really bring herself to feel anything beyond absolute hate for the vampire in front of her. The days when she may have felt pity for him were long past. Marcel finally found as his voice, his words filled with rage. Well, Hayley had a right to be angry too but she clamped down on her anger, keeping her mask of smug calmness firmly in place.

"I thought I made the message clear five years ago. I don't want any Mikaelson in _my_ city and that includes you and your daughter!" His words were filled with disgust and anger and as he caught sight of the faces of his vampires lying on the floor, his eyes filled with grief. "What the hell did any of them do to you? How dare you come into _my_ city and kill _my_ people? That's just what you Mikaelsons do, isn't it? Destroy any and everything that could ever matter to anyone!"

Looking around her and gesturing slightly at the carnage that had taken place, Hayley smiled savagely, in her eyes the promise of the pain that she was about to unleash. " _This_? You call _this_ destroying any and everything that could matter? You already did that to me, to my child, five years ago. This is me repaying the favour. You think you know loss? You don't know anything. It's my turn to turn your world to ashes." She bit out, eyes flashing a pale amber, black veins rippling underneath the surface of her skin.

"You _bitch_ -" Marcel started towards her, anger overcoming him. He managed to take one step before Hope threw him into the wall, her head still bent over her sketchbook, back still towards the two adults.

"You don't insult my Mom." The child said as she continued to draw, her voice cold. "You don't hurt my Mama like you have hurt the rest of my family. You don't touch her because if you do, I will rip you apart. Uncle Elijah said your healing meant you couldn't die." Hope finally stopped whatever it was that she was drawing, but still didn't turn around, cocking her head to the side in contemplation. "What if I take off your head?" She asked, curious. "Could you grow that back? What if I let Uncle Kol take you apart so that there's nothing left to grow back? Will you be dead or in another kind of pain like the kind you put my daddy in?"

Marcel looked with growing horror at the young girl, his gaze shifting to Hayley. "What the hell did you do to your own kid?"

" _Me_? Hope was perfectly satisfied with simply getting her father back and staying as far away from you as possible until she found out what it was exactly that you did to him! She has had to mature faster than any child should ever have to because all she's known her entire life is that she couldn't be with her father, with her _family_ because they were taken away from her in a grudge match that killed innocents! I wasn't the one who snuck her into the trunk of my car as I drove here and I sure as hell wasn't the one who made her desire vengeance for her family, because seriously, fuck you _all_ , she deserves better than that. As you already said: she's a Mikaelson, Marcel. We pay our debts and we protect our own." Hayley's dress fluttered around her as she stepped forward and now that Marcel looked closely at it, he could make out that not all the red was part of the design. Some of it... some of it was blood. She caught where his eyes wandered and looked down at her dress pouting slightly. "Oh yes, the blood stains will be awful to get out. I doubt Rebekah will ever let me borrow her dresses ever again. But then again, it went for a good cause so I'm sure she won't mind much. What do you think?"

"Go to hell." He spat at her and she sighed.

"Why don't you understand? _I've already been there_." She smiled then, dimples in full display. "I was just a distraction anyway while Freya and Vincent got their shit together. I've got to run now, the father of my child needs to be saved but they promised they'd leave some of you for me. Don't miss me too much while I'm gone. Hope, sweetie, time to go now." She snapped Marcel's neck, the bone breaking with a sickening crack and the vampire fell to the floor. She stepped over his body and held out a hand to her daughter.

"Coming Mommy." The seven year old ripped out her drawing and laid it gently on the table in front of her before closing her sketchbook and grabbing a hold of her mother's outstretched hand. On the paper, a full moon hung in one corner of the sky, partially obscured by clouds as the New Orleans skyline burned.

* * *

Perhaps the worst part of the state that Klaus was in was that he was aware of everything happening around him and for so long he had been completely shrouded in darkness. The bright light of a torch shining through the cracks in the bricks surrounding him as they were broken surprised him and hurt his overly sensitive eyes. The voices of his brothers and sister reached his ears and as the bricks fell away, Elijah's face became visible. He would have smiled at his brother but moving any of his muscles was near impossible and caused excruciating pain.

Before long, his siblings were joined by Hayley. He could sense his daughter nearby, the bond he had with her tingling in the back of his mind at their proximity. He had realised that, with time, the bond not only strengthened but turned into somewhat of a two way street, allowing him to feel some of what she felt and very rarely, with a lot of concentration, allow him to communicate with her.

Kol gently lifted him and carried him up the stairs, laying him down on a bed. It seemed Marcel had seen fit to renovate and clean up the house after Klaus's sire-line had lain waste to it. In spite of all his insistence to the contrary, it appeared that he had never quite let go of his roots.

Rebekah found some blood bags as Hayley spoke on the phone, to whom, Klaus couldn't tell. The blond hybrid met Elijah's eyes as the vampire braced him, lifting his arm as he prepared to take out the dagger from Klaus. Plunging his hands just below Klaus's sternum, the hybrid wasn't sure which was worse as his back arched up off the bed, leaving the dagger in or taking it out. He gasped as his brother pulled it out, some colour returning to his pale skin, the red veins that covered his torso slowly disappearing as Rebekah guided a blood bag to his mouth. He drained it in one go, finally sating the thirst that had been building up inside him for so long. He had the next three a little more slowly before looking up at his family.

"What took you lot so bloody long?" He joked, his lips lifting up in a pale imitation of a smile, almost as if his body had forgotten how to, looking around at his siblings. "And where the hell is my daughter?"

* * *

Vincent didn't like how easily he and Freya worked together, how, even after all this time, it was so very ridiculously easy to fall in sync. Unfortunately for him, it was necessary if any of this was going to work.

Standing in front of Marcel's body in the bar, he tried to remember what it was exactly that had brought them to this point. He came up blank because they had all been pushed to this point and it had been a long time coming. After attempting and failing to extract the venom from the vampire, Vincent cursed and pulled out the spell Damon had sent him, slamming it down on the table in front of him as Freya snapped Marcel's neck again to make sure he stayed out of it.

"I didn't want it to come to this but it's all I got. We don't have time to waste trying to extract it from his heart." He told her, annoyed that it had child to this. "A friend of mine sent this to me as insurance. Only problem is, I don't have access to the one thing I need to perform the damn spell."

Quickly scanning the piece of paper and understanding what exactly the spell was, Freya looked up, confusion sparking in her eyes. "This is a spell to siphon power from the ancestors. What kind of friends do you have?"

"Ones who have to deal with about as much shit as we do but on a whole other scale. Point is, I need something that has a link to the ancestors, I don't know, some kind of powerful object that can hold on to the power. I don't have access to that kind of shit, hell, I have no idea what kind of object could even qualify..." He broke off, cursing as he understood. "Sometimes I really wonder whose side that son of a bitch really is on."

"What is it?"

"It's the dagger." Vincent burst out laughing at the irony. "The dagger that's currently inside your brother. That's the missing link." He dug out his phone from his pocket and thrust it toward Freya. "Call Hayley. Tell her to bring it here once she frees Klaus. If we have any hope of making Marcel a normal vampire again, it's that."

* * *

He may have seen her so many times in his mind, both of them linked through their bond, but nothing compared to when Klaus set his eyes upon his daughter in person for the first time in so, so long. Hayley smiled a little as she saw the light shine in his eyes and the tension fall away from his body. Klaus embraced his daughter, putting his arms around her gently with something that resembled awe and disbelief at finally being reunited with her.

Hope, for her part, was ecstatic. She had placed her hands flat on each side of his face, gazing at him intently as if searching for something. When she found it, a brilliant smile spread across her face and she kissed his nose softly before wrapping her arms around his neck. "You've finally come home." She whispered softly. "You've come home to me."

Klaus cradled her head in his hand as Hope pressed her face into his neck, tears of happiness dripping down both their faces. "Yes, my littlest wolf, Daddy's home."

And Hayley couldn't remember when, if ever, she had seen a more brilliant smile on either of the two's faces.

* * *

Hayley made her way to the bar to deliver the dagger to Vincent and Freya, her only thought to make Marcel suffer before she ripped his heart out. The rest of the Mikaelsons would be joining her shortly and a dark grin spread across her lips as she thought about the carnage that would take place soon enough.

Marcel woke up just as the two magic users finished the spell to siphon power from the ancestors. What perfect timing for Hayley's fun to begin. Dragging the knife as slowly as she could over Marcel's skin to form the symbols Vincent showed her, she reveled in his pain. After all, no one got to hurt her family and not pay the price.

The young hybrid stood back and watched as Freya and Vincent channeled each other and the magic of the ancestors through the blade, their power gripping Marcel and stripping him of everything that he had become through the serum. Hayley watched with satisfaction as the blood red of Marcel's irises faded to his regular chocolate colour. She turned as she heard a knock on the door of the bar and opening it, she was unsurprised to see Rebekah and Kol standing outside.

"'Lijah is with Nik. He'll be joining us shortly. I hope we're not too late to the party?" Kol grinned darkly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at writing action scenes and chapters like this. Ugh, hope it wasn't too terrible and y'all will keep reading. Also damn, I forgot how mad I was at Marcel after season 3  
> Also yo, before you @ me for Hope's threats against Marcel, have you seen cartoons these days? While relationships and expressing love is often seen as too mature, violence is glorified and extremely common in even kids shows. Growing up, my parents would be all: you can't see 2 people who clearly are in love kiss on screen! I mean, how vulgar! Nah, but watch people being crushed by pianos and wrestling and whatnot? Go ahead kiddo.


	12. Righteous fury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since Marcel either killed, pissed off or ran out everyone he canonically knew in New Orleans after season 3, I figured that he'd occasionally need someone to rant to. That person became Klaus because a) no one he truly trusted and b) Klaus couldn't talk back. Also I forget what happened to Josh. Also one thing that really pissed me off about the show is that except for that one time in season 2 of the vamp diaries, Klaus has NEVER changed into wolf form. Never. Like dude, WHY? So yeah, I give y'all a lot of wolfy Klaus. Enjoy!

Seeing Marcel in front of him, confined and bleeding, Klaus wasn't sure what he should be feeling. His siblings and Hayley looked triumphant, pleased at the fact that Marcel was no longer a threat to them, a fact he too appreciated seeing as Marcel's anger at him or his family hadn't died down in the past five years if the vampire's rants were anything to go by. But he couldn't help but see the boy he claimed as his own, the one he loved and raised even through Marcel's beaten and bloody exterior.

He looked Marcel straight in the eyes, looked at him and saw the younger vampire as he stood before him, his son, his enemy, his greatest pride being the man he had become. "You know, you were right." He began, his voice soft, but still strong with complete faith in the truth of what he was saying. "You are not me, no. What you got wrong was that I never expected you to be either."

Marcel started, brown eyes flashing with emotion. "You heard all of that? Every single time?" His voice shook, disbelief and shock all too clear.

Klaus nodded slightly, the barest of movements, nearly impossible to catch. "I was in endless pain, I wasn't deaf." His voice remained soft even though his words were harsh. "But no, you are not me." He repeated and swallowed before continuing, his blue eyes filled with sincerity and a myriad of emotions that Marcel couldn't even begin to name. The blond hybrid continued and Marcel's heart clean stopped for a minute at the words that were pouring from Klaus's lips. "You are better than me in every way I know to explain. I took you that day because you were _brave_ in a way I could never have been. You stood up against those who oppressed you, you _fought back_ like I was never able to do with Mikael. You inspire loyalty, Marcellus, where there is none to be found. I claimed you as mine because even though you are not mine by blood, you were mine by everything else that mattered. I raised you, I loved you and I am so, so proud of the man you became. That day, that farce of a trial, you sought vengeance for the wrongs I committed. You claimed, amongst others, that it was for the child you used to be. I owed that child nothing but the love of a parent which I gave freely and without regret. I loved that child with every bit of my cold, black heart like no one I ever loved before and no other that I have loved since! That love was pure and untainted in a way nothing in my life has been and I do not apologize for it, nor will I allow it to be called by something other than what it was.

"I have wronged you and I know my faults, better even than you do, you who have suffered my anger and petty grievances. But I am _not_ sorry for choosing you, for bringing you into this world, into _my_ world, because I _am_ a selfish bastard and I would much rather a world where I have my son by my side, even if it is one in which he loathes me." Klaus looked Marcel straight in the eyes, never turning away, never faltering or hesitating. He spoke to his son all the words he wished he had been able to say that say on the bridge, all the words that he had believed would remain unsaid.

Klaus shook his head then and it was a if a switch had been flipped, looking up to meet Marcel's eyes. "That said, you nearly killed my brothers and my sister. You would have, in fact, succeeded in killing them were it not for Freya. Adding to that, you put my daughter in danger and, in case you forgot, I am rather protective of her. That is a slight I cannot, _will_ not, forgive or forget very easily. Which begs the question, whatever shall we do with you?" His smile was dark, one that promised blood. Where before, Klaus's eyes were warm, loving even, as he addressed his son, his Marcellus, it was clear that now he was addressing someone else entirely, someone he held no familial affiliation with. Now, he addressed Marcel, a vampire who had proved on more than one occasion that he meant Klaus's family harm. "Now, you may not have the same abilities as you did when you tried to eliminate my family, but you are still the same person with the same motivations, something which leads me to the assumption that if given the chance, you will try again. The last time I left someone who meant my family harm alive, my demons came back to haunt me. They have a nasty habit of doing that, you see."

Marcel glared at Klaus, defiant. "If you're going to kill me, then _kill me_. So I stuck a dagger in you for a few years, you put your own siblings under for _decades_! We both know how this ends, why drag it on you sadistic bastard?"

"That _is_ a good question." Klaus began, looking thoughtful for a moment. After a second, the contemplative look fell from his face and the a dark grin twisted the corners of his lips as he plunged his hand through Marcel's chest and grabbed hold of his heart. "However, it is not one I have to answer." Marcel choked on his own blood, features etched with pain. "I suffered for, what, five years give or take to sate your anger? And if you had your way, not only would it be longer, but it would be knowing that most of my family lay dead at your hands and the rest hunted down. You probably don't know what that's like. Personally, I'd prefer the agonizing pain of the dagger than to live with the constant fear of their very survival." He then wrenched his hand from Marcel's chest, examining the blood-covered appendage calmly as the vampire gasped and coughed up blood. "But then," and his voice was a whisper as he spoke, yet clear enough to all, "I _am_ a sadistic bastard and I enjoy taking my time as I rip apart those who hurt me and mine."

His voice became gentle as he spoke then, kneeling to look at Marcel straight in the eyes, once again addressing his Marcellus as the younger vampire fell to his knees. Klaus put his other hand on Marcel's shoulder, almost comfortingly, his eyes practically radiating warmth. "A hound once asked me to kneel while he held the heart of my child's mother in his hand. He asked if I was willing to measure my pride against his mercy. I wasn't then and I wouldn't now, not for any of my family. I never wanted your little witch to die; she was too important for many different reasons. But she did and instead of accepting that, you and Vincent turned your anger on us. Thus comes the problem. Because my family's oath to each other does hold some merit even if you choose to forget that little fact until you want to throw it in our faces."

"I already told you." Everything about Marcel screamed misery as he lifted his head to look at Klaus. "If you want to kill me then fucking do it already. Stop dragging this on!"

Klaus chuckled softly. "I don't _want_ to kill you, Little Warrior. I simply wish to remind you why it is that no one can hurt my family. Is it _really_ so wrong to desire justice? _You_ wanted it, or well, I'm _assuming_ you did, what with that whole trial business. And come now, you dragged on my farce of a trial, why shouldn't I do the same? It's only fair, is it not? But perhaps you would prefer a glimpse into what I felt these past few years, pain ripping me apart from the inside, unending darkness and being unable to move even as hunger, the desire to _feed_ devours you. We'll leave aside the hallucinatory effects for now though." Marcel visibly steeled himself, preparing himself as Klaus entered his mind, forcing Marcel to experience some of the pain he had felt while under the influence of the dagger. The vampire's face contorted in a silent scream, small gasps escaping his lips.

Breaking the connection after a few minutes, Klaus pulled back allowing Marcel to drop down to the floor, bracing himself against the wood. Harsh pants fell from his lips as he tried to regain his breath but Klaus once again plunged his hand into him, but instead of grabbing a hold of his heart, the hybrid instead wrapped his fingers around his spine, pulling him up to his feet. Klaus's teeth elongated into twin sets of fangs and he bit savagely into Marcel's neck, infecting him with wolf venom. Letting go of Marcel and allowing him to drop to the floor one final time, the hybrid spoke. "That was barely a taste of the agony I endured. Nonetheless, should you survive the day, we'll be even. Maybe." He smirked and then caught sight of another bite on Marcel's arm. He looked questioningly at Hayley who shrugged and grinned darkly.

"A girl has needs too. I couldn't help myself. He put my baby's life in danger."

"Ah, well, in that case, I suppose you just have to try very hard to stay alive. You may just want to take the alternative, but I assure you, I have it on good authority that it is a very slow and very painful death that awaits you. Either way, it's your choice, of course. I haven't forgotten the younger generation's insistence upon their right of free will. Utter rot, in my opinion, but whatever keeps the wheels spinning." Klaus turned to leave, followed by his siblings and Hayley, Vincent having long since left with Papa Tunde's blade.

"Are you so twisted in the head that you think _this_ is free will?" Marcel called out after him. "You're not leaving me with any kind of choice here unless I choose to die!"

Klaus sighed, slowing in his steps a little but not stopping or turning around for even a second. "Marcellus, you act as if I'm supposed to care. I don't. You were my family and I shall most likely always consider you as such. However, I clearly am not _your_ family, Marcel. There is no such thing as a neutral party in this war and you have proven which side you stand by long before today. Never forget, no matter what you do, whatever steps you take, _I_ am the King of this city. You _will_ survive today and then you will leave my city until such a time when I feel it adequate for you to return. I refuse to hunt you down like a common animal for the sake of our shared history. Pray I do not come to regret that decision because if I do, well, while you're in hell say hello to Lucien for me."

* * *

Reaching home and revelling in the fact that he was not a prisoner anymore, Klaus sped up to his room to get some much needed rest. The events of that night had taken more out of him than he had let on and there were still some residual effects left over from the dagger. It was only once he was there that he remembered little Hope, sleeping peacefully on his bed where he had left her before joining his siblings and Hayley. A sudden surge of protective instinct coursed through him arms before he even thought much about it, his mind was already made up.

Although it had been years since he had allowed himself to shift into his wolf form, the transformation came naturally and without significant pain. A tawny wolf climbed onto the bed and curled around Hope protectively, surrounding her with his warmth. The young girl snuggled into his warm fur, holding onto it with a firm grip. They lay like that the entire night, the father protecting his daughter and both subconsciously taking comfort from the other's presence.

Hayley walked inside the room in the morning, looking for her daughter. She smiled softly at the scene before her, grinning as Klaus, disturbed by even the slight noise that had accompanied her entering the room, lifted his head sleepily from where it rested on Hope's stomach. When he realised who it was, he nodded at her in acknowledgement and then growled softly as she pulled out her phone to take pictures. She pointedly looked at the still sleeping child and Klaus's wolf form looked distinctly sheepish and embarrassed at nearly waking her up, setting his head down in defeat as Hayley continued to take pictures.

"Don't worry Klaus," she said, lightly patting him on the head. "I promise to _consider_ not showing them to Kol. Don't keep your hopes up too high though!" She finished, grinning. She could almost make out a noise that sounded like grumbling from the hybrid and she had to hold back a laugh even though she knew he was most likely already planning something in retaliation. Hayley pressed a light kiss to Hope's forehead and ran a hand through Klaus's fur before leaving. She figured the two could use some more rest as Klaus lay his head back down on Hope and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Freya woke up with a start to the sound of her phone ringing. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she picked up the phone, murmuring a questioning hello. Hearing Vincent's voice on the other side and beginning to understand the words he was saying, she snapped to attention, instantly alert.

"Freya you wanted to make amends for what you did to Davina, right? Well, here's your chance. The dagger has been imbued with the ancestors' power and not only that, but it does have its own. Also, it has a direct connection to the ancestors. We can use it to bring her back!'

"When and where do you want me?"

"I'll text you the address and a list of things to bring. Be there by noon and bring Kol with you. We'll need him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, I forgot how dramatic I always make Klaus. Oh well, can't say it's not in character though, right?


	13. Promises, threats and new hopes

Rage sparked in Hope as she caught sight of the vampire that walked, well, more like stumbled, into her home as if he had a right to be there. Even his battered and blood covered state did nothing to calm her anger and before she could put any thought into the action, she swept her arm out to the side, pushing him up against a wall with her magic, his head connecting with the stone with a satisfying crack. He had no business being here.

"Why are you here?" She demanded, her voice cold as ice even as a dark smile played about the child's lips at the sight of fresh blood dripping from the newly made cut on his forehead.

"Didn't realise the guard dog duties started so young. Please don't you start quoting that damn phrase at me too." He asked, shaking his head a little in order to clear it. Hope simply glared at him and smacked him into the wall again. If she was being honest, the action did hold some degree of amusement for her, although she stopped herself from showing it. There wasn't really much that could match up to the satisfaction that came with overpowering someone you saw as an enemy.

Calling for her father through their bond, she was unsurprised and would actually have been rather amused in any other situation at the way he sped into the courtyard, barely half a minute later, concern written all over his face. Catching sight of Marcel pinned against the wall, he took a second to smirk at Hope in approval.

"She has quite the temper." Marcel commented sarcastically, clearly not having learnt from the reaction to his previous sarcastic statement. "I wonder who she could _possibly_ have gotten that from?" Hope frowned at the slight towards her father and threw him against the opposite wall, breaking one of the archways in the process. Also most likely a few bones too but Klaus was understandably more concerned about the archways. Those would be a bitch to repair.

"And I wonder why you keep talking when clearly I want you to shut up." She retorted calmly, channeling all her anger into her magic. "Daddy, I thought you said he was smart. He doesn't seem very smart to me." She turned to her father with a questioning look. The hybrid, who had been trying to contain his laughter at the two's actions, raised an eyebrow at his children and couldn't help himself, bursting out into laughter.

"Well, he used to be." He answered when he was able, still chuckling softly. "My apologies for his idiocy."

"That's ok Daddy. I don't blame just you. Auntie Beks and Uncle 'Lijah probably deserve some of the blame too. And maybe Uncle Kol a little bit." Hope waved a hand dismissively in her father's direction, turning her attention to Marcel. "So you're technically my big brother right? And don't say you're not part of this family because Uncle Elijah already told me that Daddy adopted you when you were younger and Mommy says that it counts so you _are_ family even if you don't want to be." Confused at her line of questioning, Marvel began to say something but she held out a hand, stopping him. "Uncle Kol says I'm not to believe much of anything that comes out of your mouth and if what I've heard so far is any proof, I'm inclined to agree with him. You're a crap big brother, just letting you know. Because Mommy's friends make better big brothers than you do." Marcel spluttered indignantly at that statement and Klaus glared slightly at her reprimandingly for the insult, already planning Kol's ultimate demise for teaching her to swear, mild as it was. "Oh and Daddy, you're not allowed to kill Uncle Kol." Hope nodded to herself, cocking her head to the side in contemplation. She had thought of a lot of things to say to the man in front of her but as she glared at Marcel, all she could do was wonder what her father had seen in him to love him so. Hopefully he wouldn't mind what she was about to do too much.

Within a few moments, Marcel went flying and smashed into the floor in front of them where Hope then suspended him about ten feet above the ground, looking up at him. The child appeared to be as non-threatening as possible, dressed in a floral print dress with sparkly shoes and a flowery headband, her golden hair fluttering around her shoulders delicately. It was her eyes that gave it away. They were hard as glass, absolutely crystal clear yet reflective of her anger. They were far older than those that should belong to a girl of merely seven and they chilled Marcel to the core.

"You _ever_ hurt my family again and you'll have _me_ to deal with. Not my dad, not my mom or my aunts and uncles. _Me_." She snarled, the wolf in her brought to the fore, clearly wanting nothing other than blood. "And I will _rip you apart_ like they never will. I hope you understand that because I _hate_ what you did to us with every part of me and unlike my father, I won't leave you alive to suffer and run and live in fear. You will die in the same kind of pain that you left my father in for most of my life. And when that day comes, I want you to know that unlike my father, you won't have anyone to interfere on your behalf and that no one will come to save you. Not even him. Because you are _not_ my family. I do not accept you as my family and I never will. I don't know you as anyone other than the man who tore my family apart and that is all you are to me. Remember that if you ever even _think_ about hurting what is mine ever again. I don't care who you're taking revenge for, I will find you and I will make you _bleed_." She let him crash to the floor in silence, calmly snapping a few bones in the process.

Klaus didn't even bother hiding his feelings on his daughter's actions, pride written all over his face. He'd try talking to her about going too far later even though he didn't think it would help in the slightest. Belatedly remembering that Marcel had two bites on his body courtesy of himself and Hayley, he pulled out two vials filled with blood from his pocket, tossing them to the vampire. "Rebekah doesn't want you dead and Elijah and Kol don't care either way. Seeing as how my littlest wolf isn't yet calling for blood immediately and since I would rather preserve these old stones than stain them with more of your blood, I suggest you take those and leave before she skins you herself." Marcel nodded and sped out, energy completely spent. Hope watched him go with a gleam in her eye that Klaus couldn't quite decipher although he certainly recognized her want for Marcel's lifeblood to be spilled over the streets of this city. It was a want he could at times commiserate with. Either way, he was probably going to make Rebekah teach her self defense although he was certain his sister wouldn't need much persuasion. Hope may be his little princess but she would hardly allow herself to be a princess locked away in a tower. As such, certain precautions must be taken and it was never too early to learn how to kick someone's ass. Especially if she was already this determined to do it with her magic.

Currently, his daughter was examining the stone flooring or, more specifically, the blood it was covered in. "Sorry about the mess Daddy. I got a little angry." She sounded decidedly unapologetic, even pleased as she spoke, a fact which left Klaus grinning. His Littlest Wolf would never have to apologise to him for defending her family. "Do you have another vial? Uncle Kol told me that there's a lot of power in blood. He teaches me all the fun stuff Auntie Freya won't." She confided in him with a knowing smile.

"I feel like I should probably be having words with your uncle about what he teaches you." Klaus grumbled. He had no idea what even came close to classifying as 'too dangerous' by his younger brother's standards and the last thing he wanted was for Hope to burn herself out while attempting a spell beyond her current capabilities.

"But Daddy!" Hope whined. "I've learnt so much with him! And its fun and none of it is boring! And- and I love being able to do it too! And we're really careful, I promise!"

Klaus chuckled at her enthusiasm and insistence, proceeding to calm her fears. If his daughter was that passionate about something, he was hardly gong to be the one to tell her no. The little blonde seven year old had one of the most powerful men in the world wrapped around her little finger and she didn't even know it.

* * *

Her eyes swept over her younger brother's shaking form as he sat on her bed, wondering if she had finally broken him as she feared she may have done when all of this was kick started by Lucien. He was hurting so, so much and it was so entirely obvious how much Kol still loved and missed his little witch now that his walls had been torn down. And she wondered how she could have ever thought he had moved on from her death.

Freya didn't want to have to deal with this. In fact, she had been avoiding it ever since the beginning, deciding to cross this particular bridge when she came to it. She had come to it now and had no idea how to deal with the look that was on her youngest brother's face. She could see the slightest grains of hope mixed with fear and disbelief at her words and she hated that after everything, their efforts may still prove to be fruitless and she wasn't sure if she could handle being responsible for his heartbreak once again. She silently cursed Vincent for making her tell Kol even though she knew that by this point it was necessary. It was heartbreaking to hear the cracked and quivering tone of his voice as he spoke, as he tried to take in what she had told him.

"I don't- what, how could you possibly hope to accomplish what I haven't been able to even come close to doing? I don't- please make it make sense Freya!" He surged up from his seat on her bed, hands grabbing her shoulders, gripping tight, his eyes searching hers for answers she wasn't sure she had. "Davina is _gone_! She was taken from me and I couldn't bring her back. I've been living with that knowledge for _five fucking years_ so don't you _dare_ say that there's another way. There isn't. There can't be! Not after all this time! I don't get such miracles, I don't deserve them!" Desperation coated his words as he denied the truth of hers, his gaze lowering to the ground as he shook his head, unwilling to believe, to hope.

Freya's own hands rose to grip Kol's upper arms, her fingers wrapping around them as tightly as his own that were still holding onto her shoulders. His gaze snapped to meet her own, panicked brown orbs meeting with her calm blue ones. "Vincent and I found a way. We can bring Davina back, just as she was. No price to pay, no loopholes, no expectations. Please Kol, _let me bring her back to you."_ The last line was barely more than a whisper as Freya pleaded with her brother to let her fix what should never have been broken in the first place.

"There is always a price to pay Freya, you better than anyone should know that." Kol told her sadly. "We always have to pay our debts in full and more often than not, they have to be paid in blood."

"Not this time." Freya promised, her voice hard as she pulled Kol into a tight hug. "This time the only ones paying the price are the damned ancestors. They've hurt our family enough, it's about time we make them hurt too." Kol's arms circled her waist, his head resting in the crook of her neck as he held her close, his entire body trembling. Freya ran her fingers comfortingly through his hair, a steely fire burning in her bones. "We have more than paid our debts little brother. We shouldn't have to fight for scraps of happiness. You deserve to have something good in your life without it being taken away." She pulled back slightly, smiling at him as she spoke. "Besides, Davina deserves better than an eternity spent with those bastards on the other side. Now come on, Vincent's waiting for us."


	14. A new family

Kol stood before Davina's grave in the churchyard, his hand flat upon the cool stone, thinking of the barriers that separated them. The church itself had been left in ruins, some of the earlier graves too, but this section had been left untouched by his and Vincent's actions years ago when they blew the connection between the ancestors and the witches of New Orleans to hell. "So what do you need me for?" He asked Vincent without turning around. The warlock looked up from where he was preparing the spell with Freya's help. "I mean, its not as if I have any magic, seeing as how I'm a vampire, nor do I have any experience with this spell. What do I bring to the table that you don't already have?"

"Well for one, there's _no way in hell_ I'm doing this without you here, I rather like living." Vincent joked, smirking. He became more serious when Kol turned to face him, smirk falling from his lips and eyes hardening in determination. "You have the strongest connection to her than any of us and that's what we need. Theoretically, we use your bond with her to link the two of you and once the connection is formed, it builds a bridge giving her a way back. The dagger provides a temporary connection to the ancestors, long enough to bind the two of you and create the link. Freya will keep the spell going long enough for me to link the two of you together."

"It sounds simple in theory," Freya began, "but the magical discharge may draw the ancestors to her location and, well, I don't need to remind you of their hatred for us and for Davina. Unfortunately for them, I plan on sucking all those sorry bastards dry of any magic they may have access to. Like I said, they aren't getting a damn thing out of us. Not again. Not anymore."

"So we move quickly." Kol said with a sharp nod in his sister's direction. The last thing he cared about were the bloody ancestors. Let them come and try to stop him from getting to Davina. He would rip them all to pieces even if he had to die again to do it.

"This may sting a bit." Vincent warned Kol right before a raging torrent of pain started in his mind as Vincent invaded it. He fell to his knees, a scream pulled from his lips, hands clutching his his head as flashes of memories of Davina were pulled to the forefront of his mind. After what could only be a few minutes but seemed like hours, the pain receded and Kol glared up at Vincent as he pulled himself up.

"For future reference, it _did_ 'sting a bit' as you put it." The warlock in question simply shrugged, grinning.

"I wouldn't get up if I were you, this next bit is definitely going to hurt a little more. That was just creating the bond in the first place. Now I have to crack it wide open so that we can reach Davina and tell her how to get the hell out of dodge. I'd brace myself if I were you." Kol visibly steeled himself at Vincent's words, exhaling harshly as something occurred to him based on the bond he shared with his niece.

"Davina- she isn't- she can't feel any of this, can she? She didn't go through any of the hell I just did, right?" There was a certain desperation to his words, his voice breaking at her name, at the very thought of her being hurt even more. Freya answered this time, her voice gentle as she reassured her younger brother.

"The pain was born out a bond being created with someone who's, well, dead and your mind coming to terms with that. For Davina, if she felt it at all, it should have been more of a realisation if anything." The vampire nodded, tension seeping away from his body as he prepared himself. This time he didn't cry out as Vincent entered his mind, breaking open the still raw bond. He kept silent as Vincent explained everything to the young witch on the other side, as he led her back to them. Small gasps escaped his lips as the bond strained, the warlock exerting more pressure on it in order to keep in contact with Davina and then for a moment there was nothing, pure silence as Vincent left his mind before it exploded with emotion and life. Davina Claire was back.

* * *

As much as his heart burst with joy at being reunited with his family again, the sensation of being surrounded by so many people, by not being in constant agony all the time left Klaus feeling... off kilter. He couldn't keep himself focused on everything that was happening, couldn't always bring himself to believe that this wasn't simply another pain induced hallucination. He had already pushed away his family on multiple occasions because of his protective nature coming out in overly controlling tendencies and he had no desire to rehash the problems that had been caused as a result.

Something had fundamentally changed within him though, ever since that damned blade was taken out of him. He found himself wanting to give in to his wolf side more and more often, shifting into his wolf form constantly and curling around Hope or whatever sibling happened to be around at the time. Kol took it in stride, understanding that after everything, a certain change was to be expected. The girls were delighted as it meant they could enjoy what was essentially an over grown puppy. It was only Hayley and Elijah who were worried about his drastic change in behaviour, understanding that something was wrong but frustrated at not being able to do anything about it. He understood their concern and frustration, after all, he had often experienced it himself and, despite any vocal denials, there _was_ something inherently wrong with him. Something that had been wrong for a very long time. His overbearing need to protect his family this time, at least, manifested in ways that annoyed said family far less than previous methods, mainly including turning into a wolf and either accompanying or sitting on them, whichever he felt the situation called for. Seeing as it meant a constant bodyguard and one who couldn't argue with them when they made idiotic decisions (although he did make some pretty impressive eye rolls for a wolf) they put up with it. Mostly.

But over the past few years he had been slowly losing himself to the darkness that surrounded him, that took away all he cared for. And he couldn't help but wonder- how long would it be till he pushed his family away again? Before he drove them away so utterly and completely that there was no possible way to mend the burned bridges?

Klaus shook his head to clear it. Those were thoughts better left for another day. He looked around, noting the unfamiliar area of the bayou. He also noted with a glimmer of annoyance that he was once again in the form of a tawny wolf. He rolled his eyes as much as he could at the situation and turned around, not quite ready to go home just yet but not wanting to continue walking in circles in the bloody bayou. Especially seeing as how he couldn't even remember why and how he got here.

As he walked, he allowed his mind to wander to thoughts of Hope and her latest misdemeanors. The most recent ones included dousing Rebekah with ice cold water and staining her dress a bright green in the process. He still wasn't entirely certain how it led to a three way prank war with her, Kol and Rebekah, Freya occasionally helping whichever of them that had peaked her interest. How it ended up with him getting pink hair, Hayley needing to replace her entire wardrobe and three of Elijah's suits ripped to pieces, he had no idea. It had been a strange few days. He mentally sniggered at the memory of his older brother's face upon realising three of his immaculate suits were reduced to the shreds of cloth that were fluttering around the room. Hope had been so apologetic even as Kol and Rebekah were bursting with laughter. That had been an... interesting day.

* * *

Davina woke up to a familiar darkness, surrounded by stone, gasping as her lungs inhaled air for the first time in years. She went through various emotions within the span of a minute, shrieking as the stone in front of her cracked and burst apart. Pure relief coursed through her as Vincent helped her out. She threw her arms around him then, her heart racing in her chest as she tried to understand what had happened. Looking over the warlock's shoulder she caught sight of Kol and her breath hitched in her throat. Vincent chuckled, moving back as Kol rushed forward, sweeping her up in a tight embrace. Davina threw her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as she could, tears falling from her eyes. Tears were dripping down the vampire's own cheeks as he breathed her in, holding her oh so close as if he expected her to disappear any second. She didn't disappear though, and she wasn't about to if he had anything to do about it.

* * *

After an insane amount of explanations, Davina finally felt that she had a pretty good grasp on all that she had missed while being dead. She still shied away from Freya, unwilling to get too close but then, who could blame her? She looked up at walls of the Mikaelson mansion, taking a deep breath before entering - after all, she did have both good and bad memories here.

A little girl was playing outside, a great wolf curled around her, flicking her with his tail which would promptly be smacked away with only the least display of annoyance. She glanced up as they walked in, scrambling to her feet and running towards Kol with delight on her face. "Uncle Kol! I've been waiting for you! I was practicing with my magic and I did the _coolest thing ever!_ Even Daddy said so-" she cut herself off as she noticed Davina, the older witch awkwardly raising a hand in an attempt to wave. She dimly noted the wolf standing up behind the young girl who could only be Hope but ignored it for the time being. It was strange to think of the little two year old that she remembered being this girl of at least seven or eight but it was to be expected.

Kol knelt down beside Hope, looking up at Davina with a tender smile, "this is Davina, Hope. I've told you about her, do you remember?" The child nodded, a brilliant smile spreading across her face as she looked at Davina.

"You're my Auntie 'Vina. I've been waiting for you to come back home. Now you and Uncle Kol can be happy and you can teach me magic with Uncle Kol and Auntie Freya. Auntie Beks teaches me how to punch people who annoy me so I don't have to use my magic all the time. You can learn with me as well. All of Daddy's memories have you using magic and that's not good because what if you can't use magic? Also if Daddy's ever mean to you again, _I'll_ be the one dealing with him so don't worry." Taking in the whirlwind that was Hope was a difficult task but Davina could get used to the bossy child - if she could control the laughter that was to begin right after the shock passed. Hope looked contemplative for a moment before adding as an afterthought, "I don't think Daddy should be too mean though. He was really mad at Auntie Freya and Uncle Elijah after what they did and really sad that he couldn't keep his promise to Uncle Kol. Anyway, Mommy will be happy you're back. I'll go get her." Hope ran off to find her mother, leaving behind a very confused Davina and a smirking Kol.

"She's a force to be reckoned with alright. I don't envy you brother. Wonder what she wanted to show me?"

Klaus stepped forward chuckling. "If you think I'm the only one who has to deal with her stubbornness then you really are delusional Kol. I plan to make you all suffer my daughter equally." He extended a hand toward Davina, a gentle smile on his face, eyes open and candid, perhaps the least threatening and most truthful the young witch had ever seen him leaving aside when he was taking of his siblings and child. "I didn't have the chance to say this before or to show you how much it is meant but, welcome to the family Davina. Anyone who hurts you will probably have their throat ripped out, bloody ancestors included. And in the very unlikely case that it's Kol, well, I'll set Hope on him. I'm sure 'Bekah would love to show you pictures of the last time my daughter was set loose on her uncle. It wasn't a pretty sight, was it Kol?"

The Mikaelson in question looked a little embarrassed, raising a hand to his hair self consciously. "No, it wasn't. Nik here passed on his more devilish genes to her and she has a rather devious mind when provoked."

"And it's one I spent years developing so really Kol, I deserve at least half the credit." Hayley's voice came calling out as she made her way down the stairs. Klaus and Kol both nodded in agreement, to Davina's only growing surprise. These weren't the same people she had left all those years ago, that was all too clear. But as she was pulled into a warm embrace by Hayley, she thought she might like to be a part of this family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo have any of you noticed how kids take charge as if they actually have any authority? It's cute. Except when you're the older sibling and everyone in the house is wrapped around said kid's little finger.


	15. Leftover issues

Waking up in the middle of the night is never a pleasant experience Davina thought, _especially_ if your throat is dry and screaming for some water. It was a singularly irritating and awful experience that she would really rather go without - even if it was a sign that she was alive. There were some things about life that she _didn't_ miss at all. This was definitely one of them.

Kol had asked her if she minded staying in the Mikaelson manor and, despite her fear of running into the two eldest Mikaelson siblings, she agreed to - mostly because she a) didn't really have anywhere else to go and b) because she couldn't in good conscience look Kol in the eye and turn him down after everything they had been through. So she swallowed past her fears and misgivings and moved in, dreading the moment when she would have to meet Elijah and Freya.

Walking downstairs to the kitchen, she was unpleasantly surprised to find Freya sitting calmly and making herself what appeared to a cup of coffee. Who the hell had coffee at two thirty in the morning, she had no freaking idea, but she cursed the fact that it had to be at this exact time rather than any other. She knew avoiding Freya forever was an impossible task but she had hoped to keep it from happening for a little while longer yet. The older witch froze when she caught sight of her, eventually forcing an awkward smile and took a step toward her.

Davina flinched involuntarily and Freya immediately withdrew, retreating behind the kitchen counter, smile falling at once and being replaced with a look of regret. Davina could, at some level, even understand Freya and Elijah's actions. After all, how many times had she lashed out in defense of those she loved in order to protect them? She had hurt people too in the name of keeping her loved ones safe and protected, had justified so many actions simply to save the ones that mattered to her. But she couldn't accept how they had let her die, left her to the mercy of the ancestors who happily ripped apart her very soul. The two eldest members of this family were responsible for that and she couldn't bring herself to forgive them. Not when she still woke up night after night, gasping for breath after a nightmare.

So she ignored how the older witch wrapped her fingers tightly around the ceramic mug in front of her till they went red with effort and filled a glass with water. She ignored the dark circles that ran deep beneath Freya's eyes, barely looking in her direction as she drank, the cool water soothing her parched throat. And then she turned around and walked out just as Freya's lips parted in an attempt to say something.

* * *

"So where's Marcel?" Davina asked Rebekah one day as they were out shopping, the vampire insisting that Davina's wardrobe, or rather lack thereof, was an abysmal situation no female should be subject to. However, upon hearing the other vampire's name, she went pale and froze for a moment, taking a deep breath before smiling sadly at the young witch beside her.

"Kol and Marcel took your death very hard. Hayley woke me up a few days after it happened so I had to help them deal with the aftermath of what happened." She took another deep breath before continuing. "Turns out that damn prophecy was meant to come true no matter what any of us did. Don't worry too much about Marcel though. I expect he'll be back in another thirty years or so once Nik can find it in him to forgive him for trying to kill the lot of us."

"I'm sorry, _what_?" Davina's voice was low, dangerous. "He tried to _kill all of you?"_

Rebekah nodded once, a mere dip of her head. "With the exception of myself since I wasn't involved in any way, yes. Evidently he became whatever it was that the ancestors made Lucien and decided to take my family out once and for all." Taking a look at Davina's wide eyes and enraged features, the original sighed and dragged her to a small coffee shop where she told her the rest of the story over coffee and cake, haltingly and not without a few tears for what her family had been forced to endure.

To say Davina was furious was an understatement. She was enraged, livid, burning with indignation and righteous anger at what her father figure had done in her name. How dare he use her to wage war on the Mikaelsons? How dare he blame Kol for her death and try to kill him? Vincent had taught her a few new tricks to protect herself and unless her anger against Marcel lessened by the time she next saw him, she may very well boil all the blood in his body.

At the sound of a stifled giggle, Davina looked up from where she was stabbing her cake with a fork, surprised. Rebekah was trying to keep a smile of her face and trying desperately and failing to keep the childish giggles from bursting out. Seeing the confused and still angry expression on the brunette's face, she explained, still smiling.

"While Nik might let Marcel come back, I'm not entirely sure if Hope will. Before he left she threw him all around the place and, according to my brother, was calling for blood. Elijah was grumbling about the renovation problems for _days_ afterward." She sighed happily. "I am so proud of that kid. Hayley taught her well." Davina couldn't stop the giggles that erupted from her own lips when regaled with Hope's antics and soon both girls were in fits of laughter as Rebekah told Davina story after story of Hope and how she had everyone wrapped around her little finger, all the while ruling with an iron fist.

* * *

"Auntie 'Vina! Is Uncle 'Lijah being mean to you?" Hope's small yet determined voice drifted around the room as the indignant child entered, drawn by the loud argument. The youngest Mikaelson had a look on her face that promised bloodshed as she stepped in, blue eyes glaring at her uncle. "Mama and Daddy both said to leave Auntie 'Vina alone till she was ready! You shouldn't even be back yet!"

"Hope, sweetheart," Elijah's voice held a note of exhaustion as if this was a conversation he was used to and had simply resigned himself to being subjected to it again. "You really don't understand-"

"I had access to Daddy's memories for years Uncle 'Lijah, _years_. I think I kind of get it. So, Auntie 'Vina, is he being mean to you? Because if he is then he's in _big_ trouble!" The older witch had to stifle her laughter at seeing a mere child tell off one of the most powerful beings in the world and shake her head at the younger girl.

The child in question squinted at her suspiciously, glared at her uncle some more and finally left after muttering some threats in Elijah's direction. Said vampire rubbed a hand over his face tiredly and looked up at Davina, both more level headed than before Hope walked in. "I'm sorry for the pain that my sister and I caused you. It was... regrettable," he began. "However, even knowing what I do now, I cannot say I would make another decision because at least this way my family survived." Indignant, Davina straightened, ready to loose a surge of magic against the original. Elijah, no doubt aware of what she wished to do, simply raised a hand. "Let me finish please. Niklaus was in... a dark place after Camille died. Despite how it may have seemed, my brother was opening up a little bit at a time. Your own death came at an... unfortunate time. Both Rebekah and Hayley's lives were put in danger by that bloodhound, Lucien. Family ties dictated that I could not allow them to die."

"So you used me so that Freya could get enough power to kill Lucien, yes I figured. I'm not as important." The witch rolled her eyes, her voice sarcastic.

"You weren't at the time. It was against the lives of not only my brother, but my sister and the mother of my niece. As I said, my actions at the time were regrettable but necessary."

"Fuck. You." Davina took in a deep shaky breath, eyes blazing with fury. "You _promised_ you would help me. Promised that everything would be alright. You were the so called _good_ one. And you and your sister were the reason that I was hurt the way I was. It is so _ironic_ that freaking _Klaus_ of all people tried to save me even though we hate each other and I get that it was for Kol but the thing is that he tried to save me while you actually _killed_ me. I don't even want to _look_ at you. _God_ , you are so full of yourself. 'It was _necessary_?' I _died_ Elijah! I was terrified of what the ancestors would do to me and what they _did_ do to me. And somehow it's all ok just because you say it is? Newsflash, not everything is about your family and how to screw other people over to keep yourself safe. This is why you all make enemies wherever you go. Because you can't see past your own selfish lives!"

Raw power rippled through Davina, ready to burst from her fingertips at any moment as her anger rose and hexing Elijah seemed like a very good idea. Just as she decided to damn the consequences and flung her power in the vampire's direction, two sets of footsteps entered the room, a blur removing Elijah from the trajectory of her magic and another blur moving her to the side as well.

Klaus clicked his tongue in annoyance from where he held his older brother up against the wall while Kol simply grinned at her. "Having fun, love?"

She smiled sweetly at the vampire in front of her. "I'd have even more if you let me finish what I was doing."

"As delightful as that may be," Klaus interjected, "I'd prefer it if my brother didn't become barbecue just yet. I just recently got him back, you see and I'm rather attached to him." It may have been childish, but Davina couldn't resist making a face at Klaus's still turned back.

"I'd prefer not to have died in the first place but we can't all get what we want."

Klaus inclined his head, considering. He looked at Elijah and shrugged. "She does have a point, you know." The hybrid concentrated for a moment and the thudding of tiny feet could be heard as Hope burst into the room. Nodding to his daughter, Klaus stepped back, no longer holding Elijah up against the wall. A terrifying smile spread across the young girl's face as she looked up at her uncle, clapping her hands in mock excitement.

"We haven't played tea party in _ages_ Uncle 'Lijah! And this time I can get Auntie Freya to get you the perfect princess dress too! You make _such_ a pretty princess!" She flicked her fingers and the vampire went flying into the air and remained suspended there, upside down. "I think you have to give Auntie 'Vina a really nice apology first though. Mommy says when you make someone sad you have to say sorry _really_ nicely to make up for it and you made Auntie 'Vina _very_ sad." Her voice was still pleasant and oh, so calm as if she did this every day. With the way Kol and Klaus were reacting with sympathy mixed with amusement, Davina wouldn't be surprised if this was Hope's reaction every time someone annoyed or disappointed her.

Hope simply nodded once after Elijah apologized, clearly unsatisfied but resigned to the knowledge that not everything can be fixed in a day. "If you need me I'll be busy embarrassing Uncle 'Lijah with Auntie Beks," she informed them before leaving, said uncle being dragged along in tow, resigned to his fate.

"Well then, that was eventful. Kol, please remind me never to leave either Elijah or Freya alone in the house with a witch who hates them. Also, little witch, if you don't mind, please spare the walls your wrath next time." The hybrid indicated towards the singed wall with a grin on his face. "Maintenance is always a pain in the ass even without assistance in destroying the house."

Davina watched him leave, still stunned at what exactly had happened. Kol, however, was outright howling with laughter at the situation. "Well, Elijah's screwed. Nik and Hope won't let Hayley rescue him for quite a while and that's long enough for permanent scarring and blackmail material. Also it should be at least a week till the kid lets him go." Noting her stunned and confused expression, he elaborated a little more on the situation. "Instead of putting us in boxes every time we piss him off, Nik just sics his daughter on us. It's more effective and slightly less traumatizing for everyone involved after the past five years. No one's allowed to hurt family but family." He clarified. After the entire debacle with Marcel it was a bloody miracle that his brother even let them out of his sight let alone sticking them with daggers and taking them somewhere far away. Even so, Kol shuddered at the thought of being left to Hope's tender mercies when the child was annoyed.

* * *

Hayley walked into Hope's room and stopped short at the sight before her. Elijah was suspended in the air, hanging upside down with an expression that conveyed long suffering. Her daughter was calmly coloring in a book, the remains of a tea party lying behind her, cake and teacups scattered all around the floor.

"Hope, I already apologized. Can you please put me down?" The original was saying as she entered.

"Nope!" Hope replied cheerfully. "You said you wouldn't wear the dress and crown. That means that you're not really sorry and are just saying that so I'll put you down. So you can stay there for a while. If daddy can learn that you have to mean your apologies then you can too." She glanced up then, her keen hearing picking up Hayley's footsteps, lips curving upward in a huge smile as she caught sight of her mother. "Mama!"

Hayley smiled as she knelt down to hug her daughter. "Hey sweetie. Is there any reason why your uncle is hanging upside down by the ceiling?" Disentangling herself from her mother, the child shrugged and went back to her coloring.

"He was being mean to Auntie 'Vina. This was better than her blasting him - even if he did deserve it!" This last part was directed to her uncle and Hayley had to stifle a giggle at the sight. "So anyway," Hope said, continuing her explanation. "Daddy asked me to deal with it before Uncle 'Lijah was actually killed because putting him in a box isn't fun for anyone and you would probably kill Daddy if he put Uncle 'Lijah in a box again. Mommy, why would Daddy put them in boxes? Is it because he'd be mad at them? Can I put people _I_ don't like in boxes too?"

Hayley silently cursed Klaus and shared a look with Elijah. "Sweetie, your father's, um, _methods_ of dealing with people were sorely lacking. No one is putting anyone into a box, ok?" The resounding sigh and resigned acceptance told Hayley all she needed to know about what the child thought about about _that_ order. Smacking Klaus seemed like a wonderful idea for a moment. If anyone dared put her family in boxes again she didn't know what she would do but it would probably begin and end with a rampage.

"As delightful as it is to know that the chances of being daggered are rather low, would you mind telling Hope to let me down?" Elijah asked Hayley hopefully.

The hybrid simply smirked in response. "This your problem buddy and its up to you to fix it. You know the rules. Unless it's a life or death situation, no one steps in during one of her punishments. Especially if you kinda deserve it. Hope, darling, I'm sure you won't go too easy on him. Have fun Elijah!"

Hope smirked up at her uncle as her mother left the room, laughing. "So are you ready to play properly with me yet or do I need to get Auntie Beks?"

* * *

There was something... _off_ about Klaus, Hayley noted. Besides the obvious change that was his actually listening to others besides himself and not trying to control every aspect of their lives, it was as if he was missing the crucial spark that made him, well, _him_. What really tipped her off was the lack of deep emotion that the older hybrid had been so prone to displaying and that had been so essential a reason behind most of his decisions. One thing she knew about the father of her child was that he felt _everything_ deeply despite all that he was accused of not caring and it was wrong to see him with renewed walls of steel around his emotions after everything this family had been through. The both of them may have had their fights but at the end of the day, she didn't want him to hurt the way he had. Now, the only time she could ever catch him even remotely unguarded was when he was with Hope. It was... strange to see him make a clearly conscious decision to treat Davina as the young teenager she still was and as such, be as open and frank with her as he could bring himself to be and Hayley was left wondering how she had ever believed he wouldn't be a good father for Hope. Although it was obvious that he was setting aside his differences with the young witch for Kol's sake, the obvious effort he was making for Davina's comfort was not lost on anyone in the Mikaelson family.

But that wasn't the only thing that made clear to her that Klaus wasn't entirely all there with them. It wasn't something big, at least not that she had seen so far, but it was in how he'd have trouble remembering small things, the way he'd often rub his chest absentmindedly where the dagger had been put in him. It was clear in the way he so easily and often lost track of time, especially when in wolf form. Once, the original had gone missing for two days and had turned up unharmed in the churchyard, lying in front of Cami's grave, wet streaks cutting through his fur that she realised were tears. That time Hayley had smelt both the bayou and the city on him and had been left wondering where he went and what it was exactly that he did as a wolf.

It wasn't that she, or anyone else, wanted back the man whose choices led to pain and suffering for everyone involved. It wasn't even that she had a specific image of the hybrid that she expected him to be, but that he had started to become someone else and she didn't know who it was that he was becoming. She was still waiting on everything that he had been through for the past five years to sink in and for him to destroy half the world in retaliation for all that had been taken from him. Because if he didn't take that retribution out on the world, possibly out on Marcel... internalising everything the way he was, she was expecting something to blow up every damn day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I go by the theory that all kids are brats, especially when they're the 'baby' of the house. That said, I'm probably just projecting. Also, seriously, Elijah and Freya really needed to apologise to Davina and Kol for sacrificing the poor thing.   
> Also yo, Davi's main issue with Marcel's actions at the end of season 3 is basically that he tried to kill Kol too. Like basically that's it. Cos I mean, killing her boyfriend in her name? When he was like one of two [2] Mikaelsons who actually tried to save her? Maybe not the best idea, lol.


	16. Coping Mechanisms

Freya walked into Klaus's art gallery, irritated at having to spend half an hour looking for him before she remembered that she was a witch and could perform location spells. Stepping through the door, she stopped still, stunned at the sight before her. She had known that Hayley was expecting a breakdown from him every day but she would never have anticipated _this_.

Every single surface inside the room including the walls and ceiling was covered in paint, swirling designs that were beautiful yet despondent and lonely in nature and filled with anger- so much anger that it took her breath away. Whorls and half finished images made all too clear the confused and lost state of mind the original was in. Her brother stood in the very center of the room, surrounded by broken bottles of paint and ruined canvases, streaks of paint covering him head to toe. For a moment she couldn't tell where the paint ended and he began; he looked to be such an essential yet wretched part of the picture before her. The hybrid had turned as she entered, his face displaying all his obvious despair and he looked so like a lost child in that moment that her heart hurt for the all that had been stolen from them.

"Niklaus..." she began but he cut her off, everything about him looking to be as if he was screaming for help and she couldn't do anything but listen to him.

"I can't find the picture." He sounded so _lost_ , as if he was wandering and couldn't find the way home. "I need to find it, Freya. I need to- its all mixed up and confused and I need to get it _out_. Out and _away_ where it won't clutter up and confuse me even more. There's something _missing_ , something that was _taken_ from me by that damned dagger and I need to get it _back_!" Desperation filled his voice, anger too and Freya could suddenly see why this room contained so much carnage. Her brother had always used art as a way of expressing himself and now- now that something in him was as broken as Hayley had feared, he just... couldn't.

Striding forward, she raised her arms, engulfing him in her embrace, ignoring the bright colors  that now stained her shirt. Klaus tucked his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in deeply, his body shaking. Freya carded her fingers through his hair, saying nothing at all, simply holding him as the tears fell, providing comfort to his battered soul in a way she had no idea she was even doing. She wasn't used to playing the role of the older sister, but found it one she was happy to assume for her family. Family. God, how many times had she feared that they would be forever separated? She had already lost Finn and she refused to lose anyone else, especially after being separated for over five bloody years.

She had no idea how long they were standing there in that room, aware that at some point she had sat him down, pulling at him till he rested his head on her lap, ignoring the tears that fell onto her jeans. She let him simply talk in a way she doubted anyone had ever let him do before, listening to every word, even as his eloquence left him and his silver tongue betrayed him, leaving him grasping for the words that would let him convey what he was feeling. Lost and drifting, he needed an anchor and she didn't think he could survive for too long on just sheer will power and his love for his family as he was currently doing before he was washed away by the tidal wave that was all that he had suffered for them.

Looking around, she noticed deep gouges in the wooden floor, ones that at first appeared to be random but upon closer inspection formed an image of some kind, one she just couldn't identify yet. She could tell that they had been made in anger and wondered at the loss of control her brother must have experienced to allow his wolf to rage with such abandon in a place all had deemed his sanctuary. Noting where her eyes fell, Klaus's lips upturned in a pale imitation of a smile as the hybrid raised his own hand, gazing intently at his nails as if he expected claws to burst through the pale, soft skin at any moment. "I believe my wolf felt the need to express himself without unnecessary bloodshed too. It was - is, I suppose, - a therapeutic experience."

She hummed in response as her fingers danced lightly over the deep cuts, noting how even they had been covered in paint, in long rough strokes, a raw, angry black and red design that she couldn't make heads or tails of. As she traced the patterns inked onto the floor around her, Freya almost didn't catch Klaus's suddenly sharp eyes following her movements, noting the awe in her eyes as she took in the room slowly, a little bit at a time, admiring it for what it was - a masterpiece - as unfinished and confusing as it was. Looking closely, she could make out intricate patterns within patterns, overlapping designs with such attention to detail that it took her breath away.

"How long has it been since anyone else besides you was in here?" She asked, looking down at him. He shrugged, noncommittal and Freya narrowed her eyes. "Nik, have you ever let _anyone_ in here?"

"Not in a while, no. I haven't had any reason to." Seeing the expression on her face, he shrugged again. "Hope is the only one who shares my interest in and talent for art and she mostly sketches, something which we do in her room or outside. I don't like people in here unless I bring them in myself."

This was a part of himself he was allowing her to see, was what he was saying. It was a plea not to abuse the knowledge that she now had. Silver lined her eyes and Freya was barely able to hold the tears back. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her brother, squeezing lightly and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead in response. As she looked around the room again, she supposed it to be fitting that he took out his emotions in an internal show rather than destroying the works just yet. After all, it was a world his family still lived in and any external measure would be showing weakness, something her brother would never do, damn him. Then again, expecting anything else would have made her the fool and she knew her brother better than that.

* * *

"Uncle Kol!" Hope's loud voice as she yelled for her uncle was almost painful to said uncle's sensitive hearing and he winced as he called back to let her know where he was. She bounded into the room, a bundle of energy that he figured may very well be almost magical in its extent. The child's bright smile lit up the room and he couldn't help the smile that formed on his own lips in response at his niece's excitement.

"Hey kiddo, what did you figure out this time?"

"How did you know I figured something out? You can't read minds!" Hope insisted, burning with indignation at her surprise being partially ruined.

"No," he conceded, "but how many times have you come yelling for me when you learn something new?" Kol asked, lifting her up and placing her on the table in front of him, bopping her on the nose as she looked down, considering this new piece of information. It appeared that the tribrid would have to find new ways of announcing surprises if she was so predictable. "So, what is it you want to show me?" Kol asked, distracting her from her line of thought and she brightened considerably.

"Oh, yeah! You won't _believe_ what I can do now!" She exclaimed, excitement written all over her face. "I've been working on the ways I can change water and fire and water was really, really hard but I _finally_ got to do it!" She held a hand out and concentrated till a flame burned merrily in the palm of her hand. Focusing some more, she began to shape it until eventually Kol could sort of make out the vague outline of what she was trying to do. Soon enough, a small wolf made it out of fire was running across her palm, flaming tail flickering as it ran. She blew on it slightly and left it running in the air around her as she then focused on making another wolf from the glass of water sitting on the table.

Kol watched in awe as the two wolves played together in the air around them. Hope had truly come a long way from when she could only create basic shapes. He fingered the fireball that she had given him so many months ago that she had insisted he carry on his person at all times and wondered who the wolves were for. His niece had made a habit of attempting to create things out of her magic for her family, convinced that at some point they may have need of them. Rebekah had received a flaming heart, if he was not mistaken and Freya, a book.

Hope nodded her head, golden hair bobbing up and down, a pleased smile adorning her face as she inspected her creations carefully. "I needed them to be perfect before I gave them to Mama and Daddy. They'll like them, right?" She asked, suddenly shy and unsure. It took Kol a moment to shake himself out of his awed state at her natural manipulation of magic before he could answer. Reassuring her, the vampire promised in no uncertain terms that he would happily kick his brother's ass in the unlikely event that the hybrid dared not like her creations. Brightening up at that, Hope began to babble about her day and how long it was taking Elijah to get back into her good books in spite his best efforts.

* * *

Lying by Cami's grave in wolf form, Klaus was surprised when Davina walked up. Having recognised the hybrid in wolf form, the witch simply ignored him at first as she lay down a bouquet of flowers at her friend's grave. She sat down then, next to the tawny wolf, gathering the words that seemed to be so important to say, should she ever find them.

"I- I didn't even know she was dead. Can you believe that? One of my closest friends and I didn't even know she was dead till Rebekah told me." Davina wiped her eyes, sniffling as she spoke. "I'm not sure whether or not that makes me a horrible friend seeing as how I died the same day, but I still feel awful. And I'm not also sure whether I blame you or myself for her death because you dragged her into our world in the first place but I made sure she stayed even after you compelled her to leave." Klaus moved closer to her as she subconsciously reached out and began running a hand through his fur. Time spent with his sisters and daughter had taught him that allowing them to pet him was comforting in and of itself to the one doing the petting. Besides, he was interested in what she had to say even if he'd never admit to it. "Then I remember what Kol told me - that you were the only one willing to help him and Marcel get me back when I - when I died and Freya telling me how angry you were with what she and Elijah did and I feel bad for blaming you in the first place. Cami was my first friend after everything with the harvest and the other witches turning against me. It's hard to believe that she's... gone." Davina swallowed harshly, unable to bring herself to say that her friend was dead. Had been for the past five years as she herself had. Perhaps the worst part of it was that she had never even been able to say goodbye. The brunette curled her free hand into a fist at that, at the fact that she had been deprived even of that by witches long dead and past grudges that should have ceased to matter a long damn time ago.

Klaus simply let out a whine in response, not wishing to change back and having to actually speak but commiserating with the young woman nonetheless. Davina sighed then, continuing to card her hands through his soft fur. "Then again, you have it far worse. Wasn't she like the first person outside of your family that you actually loved after who knows how long? At least I got Kol back, even if it was after five years. All you have is a grave and memories." She ignored his growl at that and laughed without humor. "Do you think karma is real? Because I do. I think she's a bitch who takes and takes and is excused because somewhere along the way, we fucked up and hurt someone and that's more than enough reason to make us suffer for it." She shook her head slightly and looked down at the wolf beside her. "You know, I don't think I hate you anymore. I don't think I could even if I wanted to. Not after everything. Also it would make me kind of ungrateful seeing as how you were the only one who wanted to help Kol bring me back after I died." Klaus simply inclined his head before nodding once in a show of agreement. They both had better things to do and bigger things to deal with then hating each other.

* * *

Consistently running into each other at two in the morning left Freya and Davina in a semi-conscious habit of doing so almost every night. It took two weeks before Davina so much as sat down at the table next to the older witch instead of ignoring her. Freya smiled when she did so and even though it was a small smile, it was the first real one that she had seen grace the eldest Mikaelson's face in a while. It took another week before she was prepared to listen to her but Davina had to admit, Freya's apology was much more satisfying than Elijah's had been. She understood the reasoning behind the actions, how could she not? She had done the exact same thing on so many occasions.

It took a while, but she was eventually able to forgive the other for her part in everything. It also helped that Freya had an absolute _gift_ when it came to making coffee. God, she would freaking _marry_ that coffee if she could. Also, it appeared that Freya was _not_ above using coffee as a bribe but with how amazing it was, Davina would have forgiven her for destroying the world. Sue her, she had a soft spot when it came to caffeine.

* * *

Hayley looked up as her daughter burst into the room, her uncle Kol in tow. "Mama I made you something! It's really cool and took me forever to make and I really, really, _really_ hope you'll like it!"

Lifting the young girl onto her lap, the hybrid smiled down at her. " _Of course_ I'll love it sweetie! You made it, what's not to love?"

"You haven't even seen it yet!"

"She does have a point Hayley." Kol interjected with a laugh. "Ok kid, show her already or let me go. I have things to do, places to be, rooms to explode!" At Hayley's death look, the vampire faltered slightly. "Explode by accident of course," he added on hastily.

"Kol Mikaelson, if you've been blowing up any part of this house, I do hope you understand that it will be _you_ who's going to be fixing it." It was an effort not to burst out laughing at his hurried "yes, ma'am" but she managed somehow before turning to her daughter. Hope, however, had no such compunctions nor any reason not to and was laughing merrily at her uncle's deer in headlights expression. She had learnt a long time ago not to mess with her mother. Seeing another in that position was nothing short of hilarious, Hayley was sure. Anyway, back to the situation at hand, "what was it you wanted to show me?"

"Oh yeah!" Hope clicked her fingers and a tiny blue wolf about the size of Hayley's palm pulled itself out of Hope's pocket. It ran about in the air, tail flickering. "I made it for you! It's made out of water but don't worry cos it won't fall apart."

Hayley raised trembling fingers to the wolf, lightly running a hand over it. Cool to the touch, it was smooth but hard as if made of glass. "It's beautiful," she breathed out.

"It's really something." Kol agreed before addressing an exuberant Hope. "Come find me when you're done showing off. Your Aunt Freya and I have a couple spells to teach you."

Already excited, Hope was a whirlwind of energy, explaining all that she knew so far about her magical creations to Hayley. Which, to be fair, wasn't much but hey, she had a limited knowledge of the subject. That particular fact, however, didn't matter much to Hayley who was already enamored by the tiny wolf currently perched on her shoulder.


	17. Ohana

"Mommy? Daddy's been out for a while. Like, a really, _really_ long while. Is he gonna be back soon?"

"I'm sure he will, don't worry about it sweetie." Hayley said, as looked up from her book at Hope's worried voice and even as she smiled gently, cursed Klaus for putting that look on their daughter's face. The kid, not without reason, was already afraid of losing her family again, the last thing Hayley needed was for Klaus to be losing it and then having to deal with the mess that would inevitably follow.

"Daddy's not really ok, is he?" Hope asked, sighing. "He _acts_ fine and he _looks_ ok, but he's really not."

Now that, _that_ was worrying and Hayley set down her book to deal with this. "Hope, whatever gave you that idea? Your father is perfectly fine, I promise." Her daughter looked at her dubiously, clearly not believing a word coming out of her mouth. Dammit, when did her kid get so smart? "Ok _fine_ , I will work on making sure he gets his ducks in a row. Good enough?" Hope nodded, satisfied and Hayley sighed. This would be fun.

Klaus and her were actually on good terms now, the problems they had once had with each other being unfit to take care of Hope simply bad memories of the past. Hayley actually thought it may have reached the point where the original hybrid trusted her judgement almost without hesitation. It was still rather strange, if she was being honest, but if there was one good thing that had come out of the entire mess that had started them on this road five years ago it was that the father of her child seemed slightly more adjusted and a little less self reliant, more willing to listen to and depend on others besides himself. Unfortunately he was still pretty fucked up but hey, nobody's perfect.

* * *

Hayley stood by the doorway, listening quietly to Klaus as he put Hope to bed with a story. It was actually quite a fascinating one, the very definition of a fairy tale with princesses and dragons, magic and fool princes. She almost burst out laughing as she realised that, rather than have some prince kill off the dragon, said dragon was befriended by the princess and was really the equivalent of a gay best friend, helping get rid of the princes that were assholes, which was just about all of them. The princess herself was pretty badass too with magical powers and Hayley couldn't prevent the grin that crept over her face as Klaus regaled their daughter with tales of her adventures with her dragon companion.

As his story ended and he rose to switch off the lights and let his daughter sleep, Hope called out to her father. "Daddy, can you check the closet for monsters first, please? Auntie Freya probably won't be happy if I throw someone through a wall again even if it _is_ a monster."

Chuckling softly, Klaus made a show of opening the closet to check for nonexistent monsters. "Don't worry sweetheart, even if there were any monsters, I'd be the one destroying anyone who dared hurt my littlest wolf." He bopped her on the nose and smiled, gently kissing her forehead. "After all, if your father is the biggest monster, there's no reason to be afraid of the dark."

Hayley pushed a mug of lukewarm blood into Klaus's hands as he exited the room, the dark haired hybrid grinning widely. "Badass warrior princess huh? I knew you had that inner feminist hidden somewhere deep down."

Klaus actually laughed at that and Hayley was suddenly struck by how rarely he did so anymore when not with his daughter. "You _have_ met my sisters, have you not, little wolf? Despite everything, I am well aware of how capable they are. Besides, underestimating females is never a good idea. If Hope is anything like her aunts or mother, she is hardly going to sit around and allow herself to be rescued by some ridiculous and pompous arse of a prince, is she?"

Hayley gasped theatrically. "Was that a _compliment_ I heard? It _couldn't_ be! Who are you and what have you done with the real Klaus?"

"He's languishing in chains somewhere up here," Klaus said in a dry voice, tapping his head, "too comfortable to bother coming out right now, sorry to disappoint."

"No, you're not."

"No, I'm not," the hybrid agreed, grinning as he drained the mug and set it aside.

Glancing in the direction of Hope's room, Hayley was reminded of her daughter's words earlier that day. Klaus followed her gaze and his lips instantly curved into a soft smile that Hayley had only ever seen when it came to their daughter. "Do you think," she began, "that maybe - maybe we can still give her the life we didn't get to have?"

"Yes." There was absolute certainty in his voice as he turned his gaze back to her, a promise and an apology for all that their combined actions had put their family through, his paranoia and the way it had taken so long for her to accept her place in this family. "You and I, we both owe it to her, to give her the life she deserves. Our daughter is more than just a monster's child, she shouldn't have had to suffer because of our mistakes."

Hayley swallowed harshly, nodding and laughed bitterly. "You know she's insanely worried about you, right? Seven years old and worrying about us and the next threat that's going to take us away from her. God, she's probably going to need so much therapy for all of this."

"I'm quite sure we all need some form of therapy. We do, after all, prescribe to a particular brand of insanity all our own."

"Well, you're not wrong." Hayley exhaled loudly, turning to face Klaus fully. "Do you have to disappear for hours in the bayou and city though? And always as a wolf? That has to be the biggest indicator of the fact that everything still isn't alright and hey, you have a smart kid, she picks up on things like this. She takes after her mother, obviously."

"Obviously." There wasn't any bite to his sarcasm as there may once have been, instead, it slipped out by habit as he thought of how to reply. "Do you remember after Hope was born? When we had to give her to Rebekah for months to keep her safe? I isolated myself during those months and you, you figured out how to be a hybrid - my apologies, I should have been more useful then."

"We were both dealing and you were still extremely emotionally stunted, a state I was aware of. I'm not passing up the blackmail material though."

"I'd be surprised if you did." He was quiet for a minute as he thought of how to answer before shrugging. "I enjoy it. Things make sense for a while. Everything's... clearer as a wolf, sharper, I suppose. Besides, New Orleans is my city and it has no business smelling of Marcel and his vampires."

The last thing Hayley had expected was a straight answer and it surprised her. She didn't delude herself into thinking that it wasn't much more than the tip of the iceberg but it was something.

While years of separation from his family and endless agony at Papa Tunde's blade had settled some things in the original hybrid, making him less likely to go off the rails in the way he would have before, it had also fucked something up in a way that left him even more unpredictable than before and Hayley had no idea how he may react to any given situation. She pitied whomever it would be that would raise the hybrid's ire.

* * *

"Hey could you keep an eye on Hope for a couple hours? Elijah and I are going out." Hayley asked Klaus. He raised an eyebrow and she hurriedly spoke before he asked any questions or passed judgement. "I'd ask Freya but she and Kol are having a movie night and they finally reached the eighties so there's no way I'm disturbing either of them and Rebekah is having a girl's night with Davina. Which leaves you and I'm pretty sure you'd be fine with spending more time with Hope so I really don't understand why I'm freaking out-"

"Hayley, I'll keep an eye on Hope. Calm down and go enjoy yourself." He glanced at her outfit and grinned at her. "Should I be concerned for my brother's virtue?"

Hayley looked down at her dress. It was a deep crimson, hugging her hips and accentuating her curves. The sleeves extended just past her elbows and the back was essentially non existent. It was gorgeous. Looking back up at Klaus, she grinned, winking, her eyes flashing a bright amber and the barest hint of fangs showing. "Maybe."

The older hybrid laughed loudly, amused at her antics. "Go enjoy yourself while I spoil our daughter. Cookies or cake, which will make me the better loved parent again?" He asked, eyes twinkling in a way they hadn't in a while. Normalcy suited him, Hayley decided even as she threatened to beat him with her high heels for daring to insinuate that he could be Hope's favourite parent instead of her. The two had a special bond that even she didn't share with Hope but Hayley would rather have her lungs ripped out than admit it.

* * *

Klaus did, in fact, make cookies with his daughter - after he googled the recipe, that is. Thousand year old hybrid he may be, baker he was not - well, not yet anyway but if the look on his daughter's face was anything to go by, he would soon be on his way to becoming one. They had to make three batches before they finally made the perfect one and Klaus was about ready to collapse by the time they were finished. Unfortunately, the kitchen was in a bit of a mess.

"Somehow I doubt your mother will be too happy when she sees this." Klaus told his daughter as they surveyed the room while munching on still warm cookies. Hope was sitting on a table, swinging her legs to and fro, completely uncaring of the fact that her dress was utterly ruined. For that matter, Klaus's shirt was too, but he steadily ignored that small detail.

Flour covered nearly every flat surface in the kitchen and it was a _large_ one. Various pots and pans lay scattered around, cookie cutters and other cooking utensils cluttering up the tables. Both he and Hope had flour, chocolate and baking powder covering them from when Hope decided that a food fight was in order and throwing what was essentially powder was a good idea. He doubted he would get it all out of his hair for quite a while. Powdered sugar sprinkled the floor and tables and Hope kept calmly alternating between eating the remains of the sugar, left over batter and actual cookies.

There was actually quite a bit of left over batter seeing as how in the second batch they may have made a little, alright a lot, extra and then decided to simply eat what was left over rather than add it to the third batch. The smell of cinnamon was thick in the air and Klaus was forcefully reminded of the upturned bottle that still lay underneath the table. The hybrid had absolutely no regrets, grinning widely as he turned to his daughter. "Shall we make a cake tomorrow?" She matched his grin and nodded eagerly as she bit into yet another cookie. They really were quite delicious.

However, as they heard the door open and shut and footsteps through the hall, both father and daughter went ramrod straight. Hayley's voice filtered through the walls and before either could move, the dark haired hybrid entered the kitchen. She stopped still for a moment, taking in the chaos and glared at Klaus who smiled sheepishly, an expression mirrored on Hope's face. "We can explain?" The blond tried. Hayley coughed delicately into her hand and Klaus could have sworn she was hiding a laugh. Holding up a finger, she took out her phone and snapped a picture, put it away and took a deep breath.

"You better have a damn good explanation Klaus because I swear to God-" she began before sniffing the air. "Is that... cinnamon?" At Klaus's nod she held out a hand expectantly. "Give me a cookie and pray it's the best one I've ever eaten." Biting into the cookie, she resumed her line of questioning trying her best to maintain the appearance of strictness. "Is this what I should look forward to every time I go out now? Because if so, it'll be time out for the both of you."

"There's also chocolate sauce Mommy," Hope tried, eyes wide as saucers, the little girl practically radiating charm and cuteness and Hayley melted on the spot.

"Yeah, I can't do this. Where's my chocolate sauce?" The original wordlessly handed her a bowl filled with chocolate syrup and a spoon while Hope held out another cookie. "You both are still dead tomorrow, even more if this dress gets ruined, capiche? Oh and before I forget, you both will be the ones cleaning up." Father and daughter nodded as one, sneaking concerned glances at her dress and the messy table. Oh, they were definitely screwed tomorrow.


	18. Of painting and high hopes

Klaus often lost time when he was in his studio, hours easily slipping away while he covered blank canvasses in paint. There had been times lately when one of his siblings or Hayley would actually have to force him out and almost physically pour blood down his throat because he had forgotten that it was still a necessity to drink it, the only thing that seemed even vaguely important being the painting in front of him. Even Hope knew not to disturb him when he was in one of his 'moods' as Hayley referred to it.

Therefore, when a small knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts and made him halt his smooth strokes with the brush, he was surprised. It was late, he knew that much. He couldn't think of any reason his siblings might want him, things in New Orleans for once being calm now that they had properly made alliances with all parties living within the city's borders. That left only- he turned around as the door opened and blonde curls poked through, hesitantly.

Hope looked nervous which, in itself was more than enough cause for Klaus to drop his paintbrush and rush to her side, but the air around her was permeated with fear and there were tears dripping down her face, a fact that caused worry and white hot anger to fill him at the thought of his daughter having any viable reason to be afraid. It took him barely a second to cross the room and another to pull the door open and Hope into a hug. The young girl threw her arms around his neck immediately, fear becoming a little less pronounced as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed.

"I had a nightmare that you were hurt Daddy, that you were taken from me and Mama again!" The words spilled out in broken fragments and Klaus held her closer and tighter as she cried, cradling her head gently in his hand as he did his best to comfort her and reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere. That he would do everything he possibly could to never leave her again.

Eventually, Hope's sobs died down to small hiccups and the occasional tear and the tight band that had formed around Klaus's heart finally loosened. As she lifted her head, her eyes were drawn to the walls and the designs that the entire room was covered in and Klaus realised how long it had been since she had come in. He had refined the designs that he had made that day so long ago, made them less... _raw_ rather than covering them up. They were as much a part of him as his own body, as his family was and he wasn't about to hide himself away again, not in here at least. The tribrid slowly rose and ran her fingers lightly over the swirls and pictures nearest to her, eyes wide with awe.

"Woah! These are _awesome_! Can we paint _my_ room like this too?" She sounded so excited, Klaus didn't have the heart to tell her that Hayley would probably kill him for it now that they were making joint decisions regarding Hope.

"We can start as soon as I can get the right paint," he promised instead, the smile that brightened his daughter's face echoing on his own lips. "How about we get you to bed now? It's late." He said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. The change was immediate.

" _No_! I mean, can I stay with you a little longer please? It's a Saturday, so it's not like I have school in the morning. Please?" Her lower lip trembled and Klaus could tell she was close to tears again. His wolf reacted instinctively at her distress, eyes flashing amber as he lifted her up, fingers carding through her hair soothingly even as a small growl escaped his throat at the thought of his daughter being upset.

"How about we go get some hot chocolate then, instead?" He asked, getting his wolf under control and walking toward the kitchen. He supposed Rebekah wouldn't mind them taking some of hers just this once. Besides, if she did take offense, he could always just get her some nice dress or shoes and she would probably forget in a day or two. He was lucky he had good taste.

Placing Hope on the counter, he bustled around the kitchen, gathering the necessary items as the eight year old swung her legs, heels hitting the wooden doors or the cabinets in an almost rhythmic manner as she chattered about something that had happened in school. They sat in the kitchen for the better part of an hour, talking about everything and nothing at all. Klaus even found himself promising to take Hope stargazing the next time she had a break from school. Hope would have preferred this little vacation be in the middle of the school week but while she may have had her father wrapped around her little finger, he wasn't exactly stupid, nor did he wish to have his head ripped off by his child's mother.

But as the clock passed three and he could see Hope struggling to keep her eyes open, enough was enough. "Time for bed, my littlest wolf." She started protesting almost immediately as her tired mind caught on and his wolf whined in displeasure at the fear rolling off her. But appeasing her was easier than he thought it would be, Hope agreeing to go to bed the second he offered to sleep with her in order to keep the bad dreams away.

Hours later he woke to the sound of camera shutters and Klaus glared at his younger sister who, unrepentant as ever, proceeded to take another picture with the Polaroid she held. "I couldn't help myself, you look so _cute_ Nik!" She cooed and, rolling his eyes, Klaus sighed, well, as much as a wolf could sigh. For some reason Rebekah was enamored with his wolf form, finding it absolutely adorable. How a large wolf was the equivalent of a tiny puppy to his sister was beyond him. Either way, Hope was still asleep, so he growled at his sister and lay his head back on the bed, not caring enough to do much more. Rebekah would leave one of the pictures in his room anyway where it would make its way to his wallet.

* * *

"Alright, that's like ten cans of paint Nik, I'm _quite_ sure that you won't need anymore." Kol told his brother, voice full of fond exasperation at this latest project. It seemed that Klaus was actually serious about repainting his daughter's room with whichever designs she wished to adorn the wall with.

"Yes, Kol but are they all the right colours that I asked for?" Klaus asked, uncaring of the fact that his little brother could care less about this latest activity, having absolutely no interest in painting.

"Nik, Hope is eight years old, I doubt it matters if the colours aren't down to the exact specifications." The younger grumbled.

"In that case, when she complains, I'm blaming you." Klaus told him seriously. Kol waved it off; he could easily distract her with the promise of some new spell. While some days the eight year old had the focus of a bloodhound or the wolf that she was, other days she had the attention span of a gnat which was approximately two seconds. "Your funeral, brother." The thing was that after like three hours of shopping for paint and other required materials with his older brother, the younger original was just about done with the subject and wished never to hear about or smell paint for the next three weeks at the very least. So he really could not care less whether or not the paints were exactly what his brother had asked for.

* * *

"Brother, are you sure you aren't going a little overboard with all of this?" Elijah asked when Klaus and Kol came back home and carried in box after box of paint tins and spray paint along with various other materials.

"That's an understatement," Kol grumbled. "Given a choice, I'm certain Nik would have emptied the entire store and then some."

" _Lies_!" Klaus proclaimed with no small degree of amusement. "I would have simply irritated the employees until they gave me what I asked for and then moved on to the next place."

"Which is exactly what you did," Kol reminded him.

"So you essentially harassed the employees at what is probably several stores?" Elijah confirmed with a small smile.

"Harass is such a _strong_ word, brother. _Mildly irritated_ is what I would use. Is it my fault if they were all incompetent fools?"

"He definitely harassed them," Kol confirmed with a long suffering sigh. "Hope better appreciate this after all the second hand embarrassment I've had to suffer today. Next time we do this, you _cannot_ leave me alone to deal with him." He told Elijah who laughed.

"There is very little that would convince me to go with Niklaus when he wishes to buy something for someone."

"Oh come on, it's not as awful as all that!" Klaus protested his innocence. "I'm efficient and thorough, that's all!"

"Niklaus, I have seen women at holiday sales less _efficient and thorough_ than you and they are forces to be reckoned with." Elijah told him with a straight face, Kol nodding in agreement before something occurred to him.

"Elijah? Why on earth would you know what women are like during a sale?" The original looked highly uncomfortable as he answered.

"I may have forgotten which day it was when it happened," he answered sheepishly, much to the amusement of the other two who burst into surprised laughter at their brother's uncharacteristic forgetfulness.

* * *

The look of pure delight on Hope's face when she came back from school to a room covered in tarp and tins of paint and paintbrushes littered around the room made it all worth it though, Kol figured. The eight year old squealed with delight and and ran to hug both him and Klaus, bouncing on her feet in excitement. Kol leaned against the doorway, lips curved upwards in amusement as Hope rattled on, words falling from her lips in rapid succession. It was even more hilarious to see his brother try and convince her to eat first before they started on her room.

The child stoutly refused at first, insisting she wasn't hungry even when Klaus raised an eyebrow at her stomach loudly making known its displeasure at such a declaration. It took threats and bribery before she agreed, throwing her school bag down outside her room and running towards the kitchen as fast as she could while Klaus shook his head in fond exasperation and followed at a more leisurely place to make sure she ate properly. Kol decided to leave them to it, after all, he did have his own plans with a certain witch.

* * *

"Come on, Daddy! Please just this once?" Hope pleaded with her father.

"You know I could easily just get a stepladder for you to climb on, right? You don't actually have to climb on top of me to reach the top of the wall." He told her rationally, fully expecting the pout that followed.

"It's not the same!" She whined. "Please, please, _pretty please_ with a cherry on top? I promise I won't kick you in the face!"

"The things I'm willing to do for you, my littlest wolf," the hybrid muttered with a sigh as he knelt down to pick her up and place her on his shoulders.

"You don't _really_ mind, do you Daddy?" Hope asked, suddenly unsure. A laugh came from the doorway at that as Hayley walked in. The female hybrid was dressed in overalls, hair tied up in a ponytail and barefoot. She made her way over to father and daughter, tickling Hope once she got close enough.

"Sweetheart, the only person who can make your father do anything is himself. No one can make him do anything he doesn't want to, believe me. I'm pretty sure he killed the last person who tried."

"The last one who tried was Lucien." Klaus reminded her with a tight smile, his voice light even as rage at the mere thought of the vampire smouldered in his eyes. "I killed him for more than just making me do something I didn't want to. No one hurts what's mine and lives." The two adults exchanged looks before Hayley brought her hands together in a loud clap to change the subject.

"Ok! So are we painting this room, or what? I know your father didn't spend hours of his and my time trying to convince me to allow this just so that we stand around here looking pretty!" Hope giggled at her mother's words while the hybrid smiled at Klaus, dimples fully on display. "I loved the shoes though, very good choice."

"Very good choice, she says, the whole thing cost a bloody fortune and its a 'very good choice.' As if something I get could be anything _but_ a good choice." Klaus grumbled with a smile as he passed Hope a paintbrush. "Sometimes I feel as if all that's needed for you to listen to me is for me to get you pretty things, little wolf."

"I'm not confirming it, but I'm not denying it," Hayley sang, smirking as she picked up a paintbrush of her own. "Where do you want me?"

With Klaus's directions and Hope commandeering the entire operation, eventually they covered the whole room. One wall was adorned with a large wolf howling at the moon. The backdrop was that of a clearing in the bayou, a full moon shining above. The wolf itself was a blend of light colours moving to dark, starting out a light brown at its snout, the fur darkening to black by its tail and lower body.

The other wall was covered in the New Orleans skyline, the design reminiscent of the canvass Klaus had painted for Hope's nursery before she had been born. Half of the scene was shrouded in darkness, depicting the New Orleans nightlife with a crescent moon in the sky. The other half was bright with life and light, showing the city in all its glory as it was during the day. If Klaus was king of the city, Hope was its princess and her rule certainly wouldn't be limited in any manner if either of her parents had any say in the matter.

The ceiling, they painted to reflect the night sky. A deep blue background, they covered it in all the constellations that Hayley and Klaus could remember, promising Hope that they would show them all to her some day.

The other two walls were covered in random interconnecting whorls, spirals and designs as Klaus's studio was. By the end of it, they were all covered with paint, splatters staining their hair, clothes and almost every bit of exposed skin. Paint even splattered Klaus's face where Hayley had flicked it at him and Hayley's when the older hybrid retaliated. Hope was ecstatic, bouncing up and down in excitement when Klaus declared the room complete.

"I wanna show Auntie 'Bekah and Uncle 'Lijah and Auntie Freya and-"

"Alright, alright kid!" Hayley interjected with a grin, breaking off Hope before she could name everyone in the house. "Don't worry, you can show anyone you want to _after_ you get cleaned up."

"Preferably after we _all_ clean up," Klaus put in. Looking down mournfully at her now multicolored overalls, Hayley agreed with a sigh.

"Next time we do this, it's gonna take a lot more than pretty shoes, Klaus. These stains are gonna take forever to come out." Klaus waved off her concerns. Bribery was something he was good at, Rebekah being a prime example. Besides, next time he'd probably make Hope try and convince Hayley first, use her puppy dog eyes of doom or something.

* * *

"Auntie 'Vina?" Davina looked up from the book she was studying to see Hope standing at the door. The youngest Mikaelson had captured her heart from the first day that she had come back to life, charming, sweet and caring as she was. Yet it was always amusing to see how this little girl had so many powerful magical beings wrapped around her little finger and how she never hesitated to put any of them in their place, Davina herself included. It had been long enough and Davina liked to think she was mature enough to acknowledge the fact that sometimes she could make incredibly wrong decisions and lash out at others too harshly during a moment of what could only be described as self righteous.

Hope brought life and colour to the place in a manner that Davina had never realised was missing and she welcomed every bit of it. She also kind of liked how Hope had accepted her as an aunt even though she wasn't a part of the family, not really. It made her feel like she actually belonged somewhere, something she hadn't truly felt since the harvest when she was sixteen. She wondered sometimes, would Hope refer to Cami as an aunt too, should she have lived? The answer was probably yes, but Davina wished they could have seen it happen.

"Yes sweetie?" She responded, putting aside the book and getting up to move towards the child.

"Are you busy?" Hope asked, indicating towards the large book currently sitting on the table and Davina shook her head to allay the young tribrid's fears.

"Not really, I finished my university homework a while back and thought I'd read ahead a little bit. For the record, studying is totally overrated in my opinion," she told the young girl, wrinkling her nose and smiling. Hope laughed and moved forward, her steps more sure.

"Then would you mind taking me outside for a little while? I wanted to go to the park today, but everyone's too busy to take me and Daddy says if I go by myself, he'll probably freak out and that would be bad for everyone so I can't do that till I'm older and can beat up bad people myself." Sometimes, Davina really wondered if one of Hope's abilities as a tribrid was being able to talk without breathing, because she was absolutely certain that she hadn't taken a breath in a good two minutes. Nonetheless, she agreed and within a few minutes, had pulled on her coat and boots, making sure Hope was fully covered up too. Davina shuddered to think of the kid's parents' reaction should she get sick.

It only took about fifteen minutes to walk to the park so, leaving a small post it note on the fridge informing Hayley of their whereabouts, the two soon reached the park. It was a small one and not visited by many but it had its own charm. Being so isolated, it was also far safer than any of the other parks and the witch could understand why Hope's parents prefer she play here rather than anywhere else. Davina found herself pushing Hope on a swing while the young girl prattled on about school, her friends and how excited she still was about her repainted room. It was all seemingly mundane until she asked, "Auntie 'Vina? Could you tell me about my Aunt Cami?"

Davina's heart clean stopped at the mention of her friend, fingers grabbing into the swing and bringing it to a standstill. "Why- why do you want to know?" She managed to choke out.

"Because no one really talks about her and I know that she was important to everyone, Daddy especially but he got really sad the last time I asked him and that was the time he stayed a wolf for two whole days and disappeared for a bit." She shrugged, continuing. "I know something bad happened to her but I don't think it's a good idea to ask either Daddy or Mama. Mama was really upset when Daddy disappeared for those two days too so I figured I wouldn't ask them again. So I thought I would ask you. Is that ok?"

Davina sat down on the swing next to her, legs feeling weak. "Yeah, yeah its alright. You just surprised me. What do you wanna know about your Aunt Cami?"

"Really? You don't mind?" The child's obvious delight at finally getting answers strengthened Davina's resolve and she shook her head in response, no she didn't mind. "What was she like? What did she do? Who was she to Mama and Daddy? Who was she to you?"

The rapid fire questions left Davina stunned for a second before she replied. "Cami was amazing, you would have loved her. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and the prettiest nose, just like you," she reached out and bopped Hope on the nose, the tribrid giggling at the action. Davina took a breath before continuing, "she was amazing, brilliant and beautiful and she helped everyone with their problems even though sometimes we didn't deserve her help. I think she and your dad might have had a thing but that's not my story to tell." Once she began, it was as if she couldn't stop, the words flowing out as she described one of the most wonderful people she had ever known. She found herself wanting to offer to take Hope to visit Cami's grave but something held her back at that moment. It wasn't her place to do so. Besides, it was getting late anyway.

"Do you wanna go get ice cream before we head back?" She asked her pseudo niece, who nodded eagerly. "Your mom's totally gonna kill me for this but whatever. I've already died like twice anyway," she said with a wink. "So, vanilla, chocolate or some weird other flavour?" She lifted Hope up, off the swing and spun her around before setting her down on the ground and grabbing a hold of her hand. They had some time before Klaus and Hayley would start sending out search parties for their little princess.

* * *

**Bonus scene:**

"Call it what you will, an early Christmas or birthday present, what's the harm?"

Hayley sighed in exasperation. "Klaus, we literally _just_ repainted her room a couple months back, I don't care what you say, for the last time, it's not gonna happen!"

Klaus sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought of what to say to convince the other hybrid. "We can easily get it done in a day and besides, she's been asking me since she saw my studio. Do you really want to be the target of her disappointment when I tell her why we can't do it?"

"Firstly, that's blackmail," Hayley pointed out. "Secondly, Elijah back me up on this, its not good for her to get everything she asks for, right?"

"I think its a wonderful idea," Elijah put in as he turned the page on the book he was reading, much to Hayley's dismay. "It keeps both Niklaus and Hope out of trouble for a day and its a harmless activity."

"Elijah! You're supposed to be on my side!"

"So I'll buy the paints tomorrow?" Klaus confirmed with a smirk that was mirrored on Elijah's lips, not that Hayley noticed.

"No! This isn't happening and that's the end of it! Now I have things to do and a child _not_ to spoil. Come to me in a couple months and I'll consider thinking about it." Hayley declared before leaving. Klaus childishly made a face at her retreating back and looked at his brother.

"I'll arrange a night out for the two of you, dinner and a show. Think that'll be enough?"

Elijah finally looked up from the book he was reading. "Throw in a new pair of shoes for her and tickets for that play and we should be able to call it a day."

"Done." Klaus nodded as he picked up his phone to arrange for the tickets. "Boots or heels?"

" _Boots_ , Niklaus. It's as if you don't know the mother of your child at all."

"Right, heels are for special occasions." Klaus agreed as he pulled on his coat. "I'll be back later with everything. Tell Kol to keep his afternoon free tomorrow. He's helping me with the paints."


	19. Ghosts

"Klaus!" At Hayley's call, the hybrid sped to the kitchen, alarmed by the worry in her voice.

"What's wrong? I have to leave in a bit to pick up Hope from school, it's my turn today. Will bloodshed be necessary?"

"It might be. You have some mail." She said cryptically, brow furrowed in worry as she pointed to a box on the table. Confused as to why a simple box would cause such alarm, Klaus moved towards the box, lifting the lid to look inside before slamming it shut after taking one look at its contents. Inside the box was the head of a vampire, one Klaus had pissed off a few centuries ago.

"Who sent this?" Hayley wordlessly passed him the note that had accompanied the box, a note with very familiar writing on it.

_'The word's spreading that you're back in New Orleans and a couple pissed off vamps are headed your way to settle old grudges. Seeing as how I can't in good conscience let the kid_ _get caught in the crossfire, here's a little present and a warning.'_

Klaus crumpled up the note and picked up his car keys from the counter. "Get rid of that, please. Destroy it, burn it, I don't care. Get it out before I bring Hope back." He said, pointing towards the box as he began to leave. "I won't have our daughter coming home to threats and warnings."

"Don't you think we should talk about this, Klaus? I refuse to let my daughter grow up in a war zone!" Hayley said, moving forward and putting a hand on the other hybrid's chest to stop him from leaving just yet.

"And _I_ refuse to run with my tail between my legs every time a new threat comes up!" He told her bluntly. "I've spent most of my life running, not anymore. Let them come here to _my_ city, let them try to threaten my family. We have allies now, pacts that work in our favour, beings who owe _us_. Let all those who dare come. I'll rip them apart myself and _personally_ send their loved ones the remains." His words were reminiscent of the man he used to be and Hayley was forcefully reminded of all the atrocities he was capable of committing. It seemed the monster had never truly left, but was simply buried and internalised until needed. At least now she knew what Klaus had done with all that rage she knew he must have felt when Marcel stuck that dagger in him.

"So what? That's it then? You decide we're staying, so we are? This is your _daughter's_ life we're talking about, our _family_ that gets put in danger if we stay!" Hayley argued. She had spent too long trying to piece this family back together to lose it now to Klaus's stubbornness.

"Hayley, we can't run anymore." He said and all of a sudden the female hybrid could see how tired he was. Tired of running and hiding, of fighting this never ending war against all those who held grudges against their family. "Maybe we can't give Hope normalcy, but we can give her some form of stability. We've been teaching her to be able to defend herself-"

"She's just a _child_ , Klaus-" Hayley interrupted.

" _Our_ child," the hybrid reminded her gently. "She's strong and has been running all her life. Hope is older now than when this happened last time, she can handle it. Besides, she has three teachers for magic and Rebekah has been teaching her physical self defense, which I've been overseeing. I trust my siblings to have taught her _something_ useful in all this time. We're defended here, stronger here than anywhere else. Our alliances with the other beings inhabiting this city means we have-"

"Backup if necessary," Hayley finished for him and he nodded. "I just- what if it's not enough? I can't have anything happen to Hope, she's my _baby_ , Klaus. I can't lose any of you either, not again. Not after everything I went through to get you back. Promise me, promise me that I won't lose any of my family so soon after I got them back-" sobs rose in her throat and she struggled to keep them down as Klaus gathered her in his arms, holding her close as she cried.

"I promise," he whispered softly. "No one touches this family and no one will be able to tear us apart. Never again, my little wolf." They stood like that for a few moments until Hayley's sobs died down and she pulled back, wiping her tears away, new resolve in her eyes.

"You damn well better keep that promise Klaus, because I will hold you to it." The older hybrid nodded solemnly and she moved back, picking up the box and crumpled note that Klaus had left on the table. "Go pick Hope from school, she's probably waiting for you. I'll clean up here and alert Elijah and Freya."

"In that case, I'll tell 'Bekah and Kol. I'll pick up the little witch from her university today after getting Hope and fill her in as well. Tell Freya to alert Vincent too and start preparing." Hayley nodded and sped off. It was going to be a long day today.

* * *

"It appears Marcellus is slowly coming back into the fold," Elijah commented as he closed the box which held the vampire's head. "This one is an old error in my younger brother's judgement. Something about witches and dead lovers, very Shakespearean, I assure you. If this one came out of whichever hole he was living luxuriously in long enough for Marcel to kill him, more will follow. I presume my brother means to stay here in New Orleans?" When Hayley confirmed that yes, Klaus did mean to stay, Elijah gave a little nod. "While I can't say I expected anything less, it may actually have been a good decision on his part. We have allies and can prepare a good defense system unlike the last time. Freya? What do you think?"

The witch looked up from the table she was standing at, map of the city and surrounding area already spread out in front of her. "That if any bastard tries to tear my family apart again I will personally rip out their liver and feed it to them," She snarled.

Elijah cocked his head to one side as he thought over what she said. "Fair enough. Once Kol and Davina are appraised of the issue we can start planning our defense. Hayley, if you wouldn't mind, get in touch with the wolves. The bayou should be made into a veritable minefield of traps should anyone try to enter it."

Hayley nodded. "I'll get in touch with Chris too, see if he can spare some vamps or something from his division of the Strix. Freya talk to Vincent, get him on board as well."

The witch was already digging out her phone from her bag, typing quickly as she sent a text. "He damn well better be on board if he wants to continue having us support that sanctuary of his. We're currently his biggest benefactors," Freya told them. "Besides, it's in his own best interests to help us if he doesn't want a hoard of bloodthirsty bastards on his doorstep once they're done with us." She finished typing and put her phone down on the table, turning to face the other two. "I'll meet with him tomorrow. Elijah, if you wouldn't mind, ensure that the house is in both my name and Hope's. I refuse to have a repeat of last time. Also, I don't care if Marcel is coming back into the fold or not, he shows his face here and, unless I'm given a reason not to, I will burn it right off." Fire smouldered in her eyes and she picked up the box and Marcel's note, handing the box over to Hayley. "Destroy this please. I'm keeping the note, just in case." Her smile, if you could even call it that, was chilling. Eyes hard and jaw set, fierce anger all to clear in the manner in which she held herself, Hayley was no longer looking at a friend but at a woman who would go to any lengths necessary to protect her family. The hybrid could commiserate with her, after all, she felt much the same way.

* * *

Klaus filled in Rebekah and Kol on the situation on the way to Hope's school. Both siblings agreed with his decision of staying, they were so tired of running or having to stand by helpless as a member of their family went into hiding. He decided against telling Hope for the moment, figuring it would be better if Hayley and he did so together. They would most definitely have to tell her at least a basic version of what was happening and why. Leaving her in the dark was pointless and dangerous. Having spent most of her life on the run or at least aware of some kind of danger or threat to her being, Hope was unfortunately well aware of the fact that there were numerous threats to her family. It was ridiculous to keep her in the dark 'for her own safety.' It simply meant that she would be wholly unprepared to deal with whatever it was coming their way. _That_ was perhaps even more dangerous.

Davina was suspicious when he and Hope came to get her, fixing Klaus with a disbelieving look. "Alright, what did I do? Last I checked I wasn't recently involved in any nefarious plot. What's the special occasion to come pick me up?"

"Where's the faith?" Klaus asked dramatically. "Can I not simply want to give you a lift while picking up my daughter from school?"

"Stop being so dramatic, it's you and you always have an ulterior motive." Davina deadpanned as she opened the door and slung her bag inside.

"Some might say you're the one being overly dramatic right now," Klaus retorted.

"Daddy said we were going to get ice cream and he thought you might like some too!" Hope piped up and Davina melted, suspicions falling away immediately as she got in the car.

"In that case, lead on!" She might have been nearly twenty one, but the witch had no intention of turning down ice cream any time soon.

When they reached the ice cream parlour, Klaus sent Hope to get them all ice cream, knowing that his daughter would take at least five minutes to decide which flavour she wanted even though she would end up getting chocolate chip and rainbow anyway. It was both a curse and a blessing because it meant he could tell Davina of the current threat that was posed to them and a curse because this happened every single time they went to get ice cream.

"You were right, I did have an 'ulterior motive' as you put it," Klaus began, speaking quietly and quickly, not giving Davina a chance to get angry. He quickly filled her in on the basics of the situation and the warning Marcel had sent them. "I imagine Hayley would have informed Freya by this time and I've already told Kol."

"You want me to work with them on the magic front?" Davina confirmed, Klaus nodding in response. "What about Vincent? Does he know?" Klaus shrugged. That was Freya's job and he told Davina so. The witch sighed, "I suppose its a good thing I got a head start on that project then. I'll talk to Freya and Kol and see what they wanna do for protection spells."

But their five minutes were up and Hope bounced over to the table, carefully holding two ice cream cones and handing Davina hers.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want any Daddy? Aren't you the one who always says that if we're gonna make Mama mad, we might as well deserve it?" Klaus chuckled at his daughter's words. He had indeed said that when Hayley was out one day. Hope had wanted to bake something with him and since he hadn't had anything better to do he decided that they would make cookies again. The kitchen had survived their combined chaotic natures but only barely. He supposed the mock food fight they had had with flour was a bit too far but oh well.

"True, I'll give you that, my littlest wolf, but this time, your mother said she wouldn't mind if you had ice cream before lunch," he tried in an attempt to pacify her. In truth, Hayley had said no such thing but he doubted that she would care much today.

* * *

"I hadn't realised that I had advertised the fact that I tangled with the Mikaelsons, Vincent. What the fuck is going on there?" Damon began talking the second that Vincent picked up the phone. The warlock ran a hand over his face, sighing. The day had barely started and already he was exhausted. There were some issues with the sanctuary that he had had to deal with, along with a shit ton of paperwork and honestly, he just wanted some fucking coffee before dealing with the whirlwind that was Damon Salvatore.

"It's been a long week Salvatore, what the _ever loving Hell_ are you talking about?" He asked, rubbing his eyes in exasperation.

"The fact that over the past week I've had to kill at least two vampires who were asking me about Klaus and New Orleans and I might have killed a third a couple hours ago."

"Might have killed? What the hell does that mean?" Vincent asked, confused at Damon's wording.

"Son of a bitch might have threatened a friend if I didn't give him answers and may or may not have set off a hex that said friend gave me. I'm still debating whether to leave him to it or if I should rip his heart out myself for daring. I'm leaning towards the latter but then again, when am I not?" His voice was light, pleasant, but Vincent could easily make out the anger in it and understand why the other was so pissed.

The vampire had left his own town to avoid the numerous issues that plagued it and didn't stay too long in New Orleans for much the same reason after he alleviated his apparent boredom. While he would probably willingly help Vincent with his problems or at the very least send some thing that would be helpful, the last thing Damon wanted was to get personally involved. While the warlock could normally commiserate, he evidently now had more problems to deal with. Delightful.

Promising the vampire that he would look into it when he had the time, he shut the phone and took a breath. He did _not_ have time for this bullshit today. Unfortunately, it seemed that he had pissed off some higher power or the other because the second he put down his phone, the screen lit up with a text message from Freya. Goddamn Mikaelsons and their never ending problems.

* * *

Walking into the kitchen at night, Freya was a little surprised to see Klaus sitting there, slowly sipping at a mug of what looked like coffee. It was incredibly late, definitely after two and she hadn't realised that he was still up. It had been a long day, full of planning and discussions and the only reason Freya was still awake and not passed out on her bed was because she wanted to go over her mother's grimoire to find a spell she had some vague recollection of. Her brother looked weary, exhausted and was lost in thought so she let him be for the time being while she made herself some coffee.

Sitting down in front of him, she gently wrapped her fingers around his free hand, squeezing softly. He looked up at that and smiled wanly at her. They sat in silence like that for a while, both slowly drinking their own respective drinks.

"Did you make any progress on that spell you were looking for?" Klaus asked suddenly and Freya shook her head, sighing in annoyance.

"Our mother wasn't particularly organised when it came to writing down her spells. Its frustrating and ridiculous and I'm going to go mad if I have to go through the entire book myself, let alone the rest of her grimoires." Klaus chuckled at that, saying that he expected nothing less of the woman who raised him and offered his services should Freya wish to avoid insanity for the moment. The witch accepted with a grateful smile before frowning. "Why exactly are you still awake Niklaus?"

Klaus smiled bitterly and raised his right hand which was trembling ever so slightly. "I had thought I might paint a little to clear my head. It seemed my mind had other ideas." He clenched his hand into a fist, lips still curved in that same bitter, cracked imitation of a smile. "There are now several broken paintbrushes that I need to replace." Freya instinctively reached out to hold his hand between both of her own, curling her fingers around his. She didn't know if it was anger or fear that had prompted this and she wasn't sure if Niklaus himself even knew. It seemed as if, once again, all she could provide was silent support and a desperate attempt to anchor him in the present, reminding him of what he still had despite all that had come to pass.

Her brother smiled gratefully at her, understanding what she was aiming to do before standing up. He kept a hold of her hand, pulling the witch up with him. "I believe we have musty old books to comb through?"

His sister sighed, "I'll prepare another pot of coffee. Believe me, we'll need it."

They spent the next three hours making their way through their mother's grimoires, the task made slightly less dull by Klaus telling Freya of their various misdemeanors as children and amusing stories of their time before she came. He had her in fits of laughter soon enough and was just finishing a story that involved Marcel when she interrupted, "you really _were_ close to him, weren't you?"

The hybrid stopped short before sighing, the guarded look that had entered his eyes for a second falling away. "I raised Marcellus like my own, close is an understatement. He was every bit my son as Hope is my daughter. It appears, however, that I evidently did not make that clear enough in three centuries of knowing him."

"So I guess that means no burning his face off," Freya muttered. "Not entirely at least." She smiled innocently at Klaus when he looked at her and they both began laughing after a few seconds. No burning his face off maybe, but that still left various other possibilities for Freya to explore. As long as she was still allowed to take him out should he become a threat again, the witch didn't particularly mind much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Hayley's response in this, to run at the first sign of trouble was because she's been running all her life too, especially in the last few years so it made sense to me that her first instinct would be to stick with what she knows.  
> About that last scene with Klaus and Freya, she's already seen him in a vulnerable position regarding him and painting and so if he was to open up to anyone at all regarding his inability to paint at certain times it would be Freya.


	20. The story engraved in our scars

Klaus smiled faintly as he looked up to see the blue, cloudless sky. Birds twittered in the distance and a light breeze blew, soft and cool against his skin as the leaves around them rustled. It was truly a beautiful day. He was grateful for that at least. Hope slid her small hand into his, looking up at him with those fearless eyes, quietly asking where they were going. Her other hand was in Hayley's, the other hybrid smiling sadly as she thought of the woman who had impacted their lives so.

"To see someone very special to me," he told her softly. "Someone I should have taken you to meet a long time ago." She nodded then, immediately understanding, intelligent as she was. Squeezing her father's hand a little tighter, she filled the air around them with mindless chatter, random anecdotes of what her friends did in school. _James_ was evidently an amusing little prankster, delighting in raising the teacher's ire on an almost daily basis. Klaus almost pitied the woman forced to teach this miscreant as tales of their misdemeanors continued, laughing as Hope regaled them with the time this James had convinced many of his peers (including Hope, of course) to climb the roof of the school during recess. (He was aware of this particular adventure of hers and aware of the fact that Hayley had already scolded her about how dangerous it was. Right now, he simply intended to enjoy her story.)

"So we were almost at the top and the Principal came outside! I think Lily told on us, she's awful that way," Hope confided in her parents, wild gestures accompanying her story as she went on. "But Emma saw her before she saw us, so we had enough time to hide! Emma's awesome, Daddy! She was really brave _and_ she distracted Principal Jennings so we could get away! She got into trouble for it too so I promised her that the next time we make cookies I'd save some for her before Uncle Kol and Auntie Beks and Auntie 'Vina eat them all up. We can make cookies, right? Mama I promise we'll try not to make a mess!" She asked, suddenly sounding a little nervous, as if Klaus could refuse his daughter anything and, with a smile, the hybrid assured her that of course they could and would. Smiling brilliantly, Hope continued her story, leaving Klaus's own lips slightly upturned and his heart lighter than he thought it would be, given their destination. Knowing what was going through his mind and Hope's chatter making her own heart lighter from the pain of her friend's death, pain that would never truly fade, Hayley silently thanked her daughter and her perceptiveness.

Even now, standing in front of Camille's grave, Klaus's heart hurt and his mouth was dry yet, even so, perhaps he was slowly healing. A dry laugh threatened to pull itself from his throat, he knew how she would react to him mourning her for the rest of his immortal life and her reaction certainly wouldn't be a pleased one. To him, Camille had been the very embodiment of life and she would stay that way. one of the precious few he treasured, to remain in his heart. Beautiful, precious but not destructive. He wouldn't let her become something else for him to agonize over, another what if. To let her remain so would be a disservice to their time together.

Placing a hand on her gravestone, swallowing past the lump in his throat was slightly less difficult as he smiled softly and finally, _finally,_ introduced his daughter to her Aunt Cami, softly apologising for taking so long. Tears pricked his eyes as the wind picked up, ruffling his hair and the feeling of _Cami_ was so strong he had to take a breath before continuing. It was difficult to find the words at first, as he tried to tell Hope how much this woman meant to him, meant to their family. The words started out slow, halting, but then came faster and faster and once he started, he found it hard to stop. It hurt, of course it did, speaking of her hurt him so much, the shards of her loss still tearing him apart inside yet with each spoken word those shards seemed to matter less and less, the pain lessening ever so slightly. He wouldn't hide her light from the world, not anymore. He owed Camille that much, at least.

"Camille helped me become who I am today, helped me defeat as many of my demons as she was able. She protected our family as best as she could, sometimes from ourselves as necessary and even after all was said and done, she loved us with everything she had," his voice caught on the words as he spoke and it was a struggle to get them out but Camille didn't just belong to him, she had a part in all their stories and he would damn well acknowledge that.

Hayley's own eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke next, telling her daughter of her Aunt's courage, her brilliance, trying her best to describe the spark that had made Cami who she was. "She was the only one who could put your father in his place without him throwing a fit," she told Hope, entirely serious even as a small smile touched her lips unbidden. Cami had no qualms putting any of them in their places, perhaps the strongest of them all even though she was human. "I cannot tell you how much I regret that you were robbed of the chance to know her," she told her daughter.

Hope placed a hand alongside her father's on the gravestone, the stone cool beneath her touch. "Thank you," she whispered simply. And in those two small words were encompassed all the love she felt for this woman she had never been allowed to know and the gratitude she felt toward her for all that her Aunt Cami had done for her family. She was old enough to realise that without her, without this simple human, her family would not be whole as it was today. _Thank you for taking care of them, for your bravery, for your love. Thank you for being a light for him, even in death._ Words she could not, did not know how to even begin to articulate encompassed in those small words. Yet she too felt the wind pick up slightly as she spoke and knew that wherever she was, her Aunt had heard her and understood.

* * *

The sound of a chair dragging along the wooden flooring of the cafe had Vincent looking up from his notebook. Davina sat across from him at the small table, two cups of coffee in hand. She slid one across the table towards him, smiling as she shrugged.

"What? You were almost finished with yours and judging by how intensely you were glaring at that notebook, I figured you could use another." She sipped delicately at her own drink, smile wide as she teased. "Afraid I messed up your order? You should have more faith in me, you know." Her lips curled into a mock pout, "I might be hurt if you don't."

"Davina, I got more faith in you than almost anybody else in this city, you know that," he replied, waiting for her to smile again before continuing, " _except_ when it comes to my coffee. _That,_ I trust no one with but myself." He grinned as she frowned, taking a large gulp of the coffee anyway before pausing and then, "I take it back. _You_ I trust with my coffee. No one else."

The brunette laughed at that, eyes sparkling with mirth. "I'm honored, really, I am. Now, we can keep complimenting me or we can discuss city protection and the magic required." She paused for a moment, grinning, "actually, on second thought, let's keep complimenting me, I'm awesome."

"Somehow I fail to see how that will help anything but your ego in the long run," Vincent replied drily but not without amusement as he pushed forward his notebook so Davina could see it too. After all, they _did_ have a city to protect.

* * *

Hope's peals of laughter and delight as Hayley pushed her on the park swings had the tension flowing out of Hayley's shoulders like water through fingers. She remained vigilant as she always did, of course, but she also allowed herself to simply enjoy this time she spent with her daughter.

It had been a few months now since Marcel's warning and the few possible threats that had cropped up had been dealt with accordingly. Hope's ninth birthday was nearing and in spite of the constant looming threats, it was something both mother and daughter were looking forward too. She knew for a _fact_ that Davina and Rebekah were already planning the party and would start looking for outfits for Hope as well once they decided on a theme. As if she'd let them do all that without her output. Her little princess was going to have the _coolest_ party ever!

It was slow going but Hayley was coming to the realisation that, as a Mikaelson, constant threats were to be expected and what was important was not allowing them to control their lives. What scared Hayley the most was that there was no true apparent end to this war that the Mikaelsons fought every day of their lives. But was it truly any different from any other supernatural being? Their demons just happened to be more upfront about the threat they posed and perhaps she was almost thankful for it. This way they could be prepared when their demons came knocking, she could protect those she cared for. Disappearing with Hope again, living on the run and afraid... she didn't want to live like that ever again because that wasn't living. She had promised her daughter a life worth living and she was damn well going to make sure her baby girl got it

So Hope was going to have an awesome birthday without worrying about anything and they would set up protection just in case and everything would be perfect as it should be.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket when it rang, she couldn't help the smile that lit up her face as she read the caller ID. She continued to push Hope with one hand as she answered the phone, smile never dropping as Elijah's smooth voice filtered through the speakers. Her grin only widened as she heard what he had to say and, closing the phone she turned to Hope. "How do you feel about a Girls' Night with Rebekah sweetie? Mommy's going out tonight and your Auntie Beks has been demanding a proper sleepover for a while now." Hope's grin matched her own and Hayley could only imagine the mischief her daughter would get up to with Rebekah, especially if her other uncles and/or aunts were involved in any way.

* * *

Klaus waltzing into Vincent's sanctuary as if he owned the place was a somewhat expected yet still unwelcome event after the warnings Marcel and Damon had sent. The last thing Vincent wanted in his church was a Mikaelson, however, given his pact with them to ensure peace and the general situation, he would tolerate them as best as he could.

This time both Freya and Elijah were with him and if experience had taught him anything, it was that the eldest living Mikaelsons would be entirely focused on helping their family out of whatever bind they had currently found themselves in. He was rather surprised, then, that the first words out of Freya's mouth were to inquire about a situation that he was handling regarding the witches. Given the absurdity of the situation, he later reflected, seeing as how the Mikaelsons didn't generally give a damn about anyone outside their family, his response was an expected one. A disbelieving laugh pulled itself from his throat, "I'm sorry, you care because-?"

Klaus spoke this time, voice appearing nonchalant as he ran his fingers lightly over the back of a wooden chair. "Aid in return for protection, wasn't that our deal Vincent?" He drawled, nails dragging along the wood. "And vice versa of course. We'd make rather pitiful allies if we couldn't even provide _that_ much, or am I wrong in believing so?"

"And let me guess, Freya helping me is your way of offering that? Our deal was just that you stop bothering my people and help me keep this place running, that's _it_. I refuse to be indebted to you, thank you very much."

Klaus rolled his eyes but Elijah took over the conversation before they could begin an argument. "This is an act of goodwill, Vincent. Nothing more, nothing less. As allies, we are simply offering help where it appears to be both necessary and possible. Despite what it may seem, we are not oblivious to the problems that plague the other factions of this city. Besides, if you're worried about the added benefit of tying my family closer to the witches of New Orleans, it is one that may be enjoyed by both parties, not just us. So accept the help when its offered and we can all move on with trying to fix this godforsaken city." his smile didn't quite reach his eyes and that was how Vincent had Freya Mikaelson drop by every now and then to help him take care of witch related issues.

In fact, many of the Mikaelsons dropped by in their own time, despite the irony of this sanctuary being created with the intention of helping those whom they hurt. Kol dropped by every so often to provide somewhat helpful, occasionally dubious advice that always seemed to work. Occasionally he just came by to see Davina who spent quite a bit of her free time helping out. Hayley sometimes stopped by when she had time to ensure that they were fully stocked up with supplies, her visits often coinciding with when new wolves stopped by. She had a soft spot for them, she confided in Vincent one day after a teenage wolf stumbled through the doors. He could understand that and didn't mind when she stopped by. Besides, she always provided surprisingly pleasant conversation and helped around as best as she could. Vincent resigned himself to having Mikaelsons in his church the day Hope walked through his doors, a tawny wolf trailing behind her, claiming her witch friends at school often came here to play when their parents were busy and they were oh, so sure that he wouldn't mind if she came too sometimes on account of how nice he was. Vincent sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose between forefinger and thumb before wordlessly pointing towards where the kids usually played. She smiled widely as she ran off in that direction, the wolf following her at a more leisurely pace. The warlock blinked as the wolf nodded at him before leaving, numbly nodding back before deciding that digging into his private stash for a drink wasn't such a bad idea after all. If his church was in any way damaged the Mikaelsons would be taking responsibility, _thank you very much._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I'm not bringing Cami back but I wanted closure for Klaus and some form of interaction with Hope. I think we forget that Cami belonged to all of them, not just Klaus even though that's something the show loves throwing in Klaus's face, emotionally manipulating him through her. Sure sometimes its in a good way but sometimes it just makes me sick. Case in point, Marcel's little ending speech to Klaus in the season 3 finale when Cami was among the list of things he blamed him for. Like, ok you know what, screw you too sweetheart. But back to the point, even though Hayley doesn't seem very important in that scene seeing as how it focuses mainly on Klaus and Hope, it was very important to me that she was there too.  
> Anyway, like Hayley realised, the Mikaelsons will always have someone after them, its nothing new and they can't giving up on living just because of it. Running is doing that. I feel like I haven't gone into that thought process half as well as I should have and for that I apologise. But I'm not taking this in the same direction of the show. Because that's my point here, threats will rise and they'll deal with them. The important thing is being able to rely on each other and stay together through the hardships.  
> If it felt out of character for Klaus to offer help to Vincent when he needed it but wouldn't ask, think of it as Klaus protecting his investments. He's realised that he can't protect his territory on his own, that he needs the help of other factions such as the witches to do so. As such, it then becomes important for him to ensure the witches aren't wiped out or irreparably hurt. Freya's good but sometimes you need numbers, allies and this is him ensuring that his stay alive.


End file.
